Women's Tennis

Lady Cards Finish Strong at ITA Regional Tournament

Shea Donahue had a big win at No. 1 Singles for the Cardinals at GVSU on Saturday...

Posted: Sep 23, 2017

MIDLAND -- The Saginaw Valley State University Women's Tennis team wrapped-up competition Saturday (Sep. 23) at the two-day ITA Regional Tournament, held in Midland, Michigan. The Cardinals had their best showing in the tournament in over 10 years, finishing play with solid performances across the board in excessive heat throughout the weekend that made it a struggle to fight through.

"This was our best overall team results we have had in a very long time," said head coach Jenn Boehm. "We have had players in recent years make it to the quarterfinals of the main draw, but every player on our team got to experience winning a draw which is no easy task. Even though we had some tough losses early on Friday, each and every one of our team members pushed themselves to the max to finish out these back draws. It was a physically and mentally grueling weekend with the 100 degree on-court temps. In the end I feel like there were three main reasons we did so well: 1.) Having a specific plan for each match, 2.) The discipline to follow through and execute the plan, and 3.) Our preparation and overall fitness (shout out to Danni our strength coach)."

Day One

In the A Doubles bracket, Shea Donahue and Taylor McLaughlin fell to their opponents by a score of 8-1 while Danielle Slonac and Madeline Miller dropped an 8-3 score to their opponents.

In the B Doubles bracket, Joanne Gao and Maya Campbell fell in their contest and moved on to their consolation section on Saturday as well.

Donahue dropped her A Singles matchup in what was a very competitive contest, falling 6-2, 2-6, 1-0 (5). Slonac lost to her opponent as well in a tight one by scores of 6-2, 6-5. Miller competed as well, falling 6-2, 6-0.

Day Two

Shead Donahue had a great performance and won the A Singles Back Draw..

The Cardinals made the finals of the No. 1 and No. 2 Doubles Draws as well.

The freshan duo of Joanne Gao and Maya Campbell were steady once again, claiming the championship in the B Doubles back draw.

From Head Coach Jenn Boehm

"We made big strides in doubles this weekend with all three of our teams. It's been happening gradually over these first few weeks but we really saw things start to click in this tournament. It was a true testament to our progress to have us win both doubles consolation draws, including an all-Cardinal final for one of them. We had a great team last year, but our doubles are the strongest they've ever been across the board. The exciting thing is we know they can get even better.

I could not be more proud of our two freshmen Joanne and Maya. They really couldn't be more different in terms of style of play, but they are both incredibly tough competitors. Going into the season, I had not pictured us having a doubles team consisting of two freshmen. In fact I believe I even said that it would never happen. However, watching their growth as individuals and as teammates, I cannot picture it any other way. They complement each other so well they've earned the nickname Thunder and Lightning. They work so well together and wreak havoc.

Now that we've had this weekend to focus on building a strong foundation we are ready to take on the next phase of our GLIAC schedule. We go on the road next weekend to face two tough teams in Michigan Tech and LSSU. Each team is quite different from the other but the overall key as always will be to claim at least two out of three of the doubles matches."

Up Next...

Saginaw Valley travels to the Upper Peninsula for a pair of GLIAC matches this upcoming weekend. The Cardinals face Michigan Tech Saturday (Sep. 30) in a 10:00 a.m. match before playing at Lake Superior State Sunday at 10:00 a.m. as well.

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