Sweet Briar drops tennis match to Virginia Wesleyan Marlins

The Sweet Briar College tennis team hosted the Virginia Wesleyan College (VWC) Marlins on Sunday in warm and breezy conditions, with the Marlins beating the Vixens 6-3.

The highlight court for the Vixens goes to court five player Leslie Polaski (’10, Amherst) who won in straight sets against VWC’s Morgan Franklin, set scores of 6-2, 6-2.

The Vixens started the matchup at 2-0 as the Marlins have only five players, and so the Vixens won by default on court 3 doubles and court 6 singles.

Virginia Edahl (’10, Charlotte, N.C.) lost to veteran ODAC player Imee Bautista, 6-0, 6-3.

First-year player Krista Maldonado (’12, Ennis, Texas) lost to VWC’s senior player Megan Crook, 6-3, 6-2.

Edahl and Maldonado paired up against Bautista and Crook, who took the set 8-2.

At third singles, sophomore Ebie Baker (’10, Farmville) battled Meredith Willett, who won in straight sets 6-2, 6-4.

Baker and Polaski doubled up against Willett and Franklin and lost 8-3.

First-year player Ellen Reid (Germanton, N.C.) lost to Shannon Sabo with set scores of 6-1, 6-0.

The Vixen tennis team, currently 3-1 overall, 1-1 ODAC, will hit the practice courts until their spring training trip to Orlando, Fla., where they will take on University of Wisconsin-Lacrosse and Grinnell College on March 15, LeTourneau University and William Smith College on March 16, and Western New England University on March 18.

In the Vixens’ home opener against Randolph-Macon College in ODAC play, the Vixens won 5-4 in sunny, 75 degree temperatures.

Doubles teams Edahl and Maldonado won handily, 8-2,

The second and third Vixen doubles teams fell to the Yellow Jackets: Stephanie Nance (’09/Moneta) and Reid, lost 3-8 and Sweet Briar sophomores Baker and Jessica Draper, of Farmville, were beaten 3-8.

Down by a team score of 1-2 going into singles play, the Vixens fought hard on each court and it got down to the wire.

Vixen wins at first, third, and fifth singles leveled the match score to 4-4, with Krista Maldonado still on the court.

Maldonado, who won the first set 6-3, was behind 3-4 in the second set. She won the next three straight games in front of her teammates and an anxious home crowd to take the win at second singles, for a Vixen victory of 5-4 over the Yellow Jackets. Maldonado, who received ODAC Honor Roll recognition, remains undefeated at the second singles position.

Edahl, the Feb. 23 ODAC Player of the Week, continued her winning streak in both singles and doubles.

In the past three singles matches, has given up only 12 of 49 games, winning more than 75 percent of her games played.

Doubles results with partner Maldonado are also impressive, with a winning percentage of 80 percent, allowing opponents only two games per match for the spring season.

Court results are Edahl winning on court 1, 6-0, 6-0; Maldonado won on court 2; Baker with a straight set victory 6-1, 7-5; first-year player Ellen Reid lost at 4th singles, 6-7 (4), 3-6; at the five spot, Leslie Polaski won 6-3, 6-4; and Randolph-Macon won on court 6 over Willis Blair, 6-0, 6-0.