Box Score DURHAM, N.C. – The UNC Greensboro (UNCG) women's tennis team kicked off its first contest of a three-match stretch in four days with a much improved and very athletic North Carolina Central University (NCCU) team on Thursday. The Eagles won 4-3.
The Spartans traveled to Durham for a 1:00pm start. "Look, these girls are very talented," said Head Coach
Paul Thomson. "They have the potential to be very good. We are going through a growing period right now. The effort, energy and enthusiasm is all there. It is the fine details that we have to pay more attention to. Every ball, every shot, everything they do on and off the court matters. It is going to take a little time for that to set in."
Even in the loss there were bright spots for the Spartans. UNCG closed out its first doubles point of the year with 6-2 wins on courts one and three.
Luna Urso continued her good play, locking up a win at number four singles 6-4, 6-1. On court five,
Raegan Mitchell also continued her good work leading in her match before her opponent retired due to illness.
Even though
Olivia Gallagher dropped her match in three sets she played inspirational tennis. "Livy is gaming right now," said Coach Thomson. "For whatever reason, week in and week out she ends up matched up against the toughest from the other team. When we had to pull Hanna after doubles today, Liv got that same match up again. I give her all the credit in the world battling back down 2-5 in the third set to get it to a tie breaker. She is going to have a great year."
The Spartans will take Friday to rehab and regroup with a light day of practice before getting back into action on Saturday against Campbell University. That match is scheduled for a 1:00 pm first serve on campus at UNCG. They will complete the weekend on Sunday versus Presbyterian at the Piedmont Indoor Tennis Center starting at noon.
Thomson concluded by saying, "I'm proud of these girls. They are growing on and off the courts. We have some things to fine tune and some personal responsibilities that we need to recognize. But it is going to click. All the tools are there. It is simply learning to manage the tasks at this point."
