(Story courtesy of Southwestern University Athletics)
ROME, Ga. -- Southwestern women's tennis players Alli Ziehm and Emma Kesterson bounced back from their opening-round doubles loss at the ITA Cup, winning their final two matches to go 2-1 at the national tournament.
A day after falling to New York University's Dakota Fordham and Carol Plakk by the scores of 6-1, 6-3, the all-American duo recovered nicely to earn a pair of victories on Friday at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Ga. - the site of this year's championship.
"For a team that we put together late last season that played No. 3 for us to go 2-1 at the National Tournament is nothing less than incredible," Southwestern head tennis coach Billy Porter says. "I couldn't be prouder of them and how they represented Southwestern."
Kesterson and Ziehm opened the day with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over University of Wisconsin-Whitewater's Autumn Bruno and Cassie Lee.
"Alli was much more upbeat today, and it showed," Porter says. "She moved well at the net and was rock solid on her backhand-to-backhand groundstrokes."
The duo went on two sweep University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire's Elaine Franta and Lindsey Henderson 6-0, 6-0 to end the day.
"Emma played with a plan and purpose today," Porter says. "Her overheads were strong, and her loopy change ball down the line is something that hurt both opponents."