ORIGINALLY WRITTEN ERICA FAST
The Tabor women’s tennis team moved to 5-1 in the KCAC after beating Friends on Tuesday.
The Bluejays won 6-3, sweeping all three doubles matches. Naila Kunantaeva, Audrey Haynes and Erica Buller won at singles.
The team suffered a huge loss at the No. 2 seed when Lisa Wall blew her knee out during her match. She is out for the rest of the season.
“It’s a big loss for us right now, especially at this time,” said coach Kory Unruh. “Some people are going to have to step up a level.”
Unruh said that losing Wall will change the doubles teams and his team is going to have to play well to stay in the No. 2 spot in the conference.
The matches that the Jays did give up were tight. Katherine Klepper lost in two close sets and Nancy Isaac lost in three.
Over the weekend, the team also competed in the Kansas City Tournament. Players competed individually, meaning team scores were not kept. Unruh said his players got some tough draws from the beginning and faced tough competitors. Many nationally ranked players were in the tournament.
Most of the Bluejays played in the consolation side of the bracket, with Klepper and Kunantaeva winning several matches.
“We didn’t win a lot, but we definitely saw a lot of people, good people, and got some experience,” said Unruh.
The team plays their last conference match at Saint Mary on Wednesday, Oct. 11. If the Jays win, they’ll be 6-1, which would place them in second going into the conference tournament.
“It’s looking good, but with a loss like that of Lisa, it’s going to be rough,” Unruh said. “We’re going to have to battle hard, but I think we’ll be able to do it.”
