By Brandon Burke, UT Martin Sports Information Intern
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A full eight days after their last appearance on the courts, the University of Tennessee at Martin tennis squad visited in-state Ohio Valley Conference foe Belmont to close out the weekend, represented by a duo’s victory from Sina Albersmeier and Jule Streif as well as a pair of singles triumphs by Lia Espinal and Mizuki Sakurai in a 5-2 decision in favor of the Bruins.
After taking defending OVC regular season champ Southeast Missouri to the limit in Martin last Saturday, the Skyhawks continued their doubles success in a hostile road environment by winning a tag team bout over Gina Feistel and Meredith Roberts by a 6-3 difference. That two-on-two W came from the tandem of Streif and Albersmeier, who grabbed their fifth such victory together of 2022 to extend UTM’s four-match streak of taking at least one result in doubles play, reaching that accomplishment in five out of the last six matches.
By virtue of the next two doubles sets teetering towards the Bruins’ favor, Albersmeier and Streif’s win was negated in the final tally, leaving it up to singles competition for the Skyhawks to attempt to make up lost ground. Sakurai and Espinal did just that individually – along with a near-third win from Aziza Aubin – although it wasn’t enough to snag the league win outright, making UTM 1-3 against fellow OVC schools thus far.
Emerging victorious in three of her last four singles series, Sakurai polished off another impressive win over Viktoria Kliimand, 6-0 and 6-4 out of the No. 6 slot. Two spots earlier in the lineup, true freshman Lia Espinal kept up an equally-profound streak of three consecutive outings with a one-on-one W, taking down Meredith Roberts in quick succession, 6-2 and 6-1.
The senior/freshman combo has combined for 17 of the Skyhawks’ 44 singles wins since January, adding to UTM’s nine solo triumphs against league opposition. Aubin nearly made it 10 versus Peyton Lee by stretching the match to a third set, although a 6-4 final in said rally contributed to Belmont’s three-point win that snapped a two-game losing skid after previously taking the prior three.
Only three more matches remain inside of OVC territory before a hopeful entry into the conference tournament, where the next two will be held at Skyhawk Tennis Complex. The final weekend at home for UT Martin’s excellent crop of seniors, the navy and orange will host Austin Peay and Murray State in consecutive days starting on Friday. The first match of that sequence against the Governors is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
Graphic courtesy of UT Martin Sports Information