The Elizabethtown Blue Jays women’s tennis team dominated the courts on Sept. 6 and 7 at the Shenandoah Invitational. The team came away with numerous wins against Shenandoah, Bridgewater and Division II West Virginia Wesleyan. With joining the Landmark Conference, the women lose out in playing in the MAC Individual Championships. The ladies picked up the Shenandoah tournament consisting of eight levels of singles play and four of doubles.
One of the biggest standouts was senior Christine Evangelista. Evangelista won her 50th singles match by opening with a 6-1, 6-2 start, but came back with a 7-6 (3), 6-3 victory against Bridgewater’s Maria Hawkins. “That was an intense match and very close. It was humid in Virginia, and we played that match during the hottest part of the day.” Evangelista said. “Somehow, I managed to gain some momentum and fight back despite the heat. By the end, I had to stay calm, yet play with high intensity. I was so relieved once the match was finished.” Other standout players included fellow senior Sarah Calabro, who won her 30th career singles match. Calabro beat Jannella Williams of Shenandoah 6-3, 6-1 and Ashley Price of Bridgewater 6-0, 6-1. “In this tournament, I had some great opponents and some not-so-great opponents. With that kind of up-and-down level of competition, you’re tempted to take it easy and play relaxed after the first set is over. I was just trying to stay at a consistent level of intensity the entire time so that I felt like I won because I played my best — not because the other player was bad or didn’t try as hard,” Calabro said.
The Invitational also included senior Kaitlyn Pellegrino, who finished the day at 2-0, beating Shenandoah 6-4, 6-0 and Bridgewater contestants 6-0, 6-0. Last year’s Commonwealth Conference Tournament Most Valuable Player, sophomore Madison McCall, started off with a rough loss to West Virginia Wesleyan 6-4, 6-1, but came back winning her second match 6-1, 6-0.
Katherine Jeffreys, the team’s only first-year student, was certainly not intimidated stepping into the tournament. “Being the only first-year student had been a unique and enjoyable perspective. My teammates are so nice and welcoming,” Jeffreys said. “I have really enjoyed being on this tennis team. The coach keeps regular practices, and, in my opinion, he strikes the perfect balance between an intense, yet fun and team-building practice.” Jeffreys went unbeaten in both of her matches, beating Bridgewater’s Jamee Hardison 6-0, 6-2 and Caitlin Tilton of Shenandoah.
The Blue Jays ended with a combined record of 14-2 on Saturday.
On Sunday, McCall and Jeffreys teamed up for a shot at doubles against West Virginia Wesleyan and Shenandoah. The two came out with an 8-2 win against W.V.W. and an 8-0 victory against Shenandoah. These matches, combined with their 8-1 win over Jamee Hardison and Shannon Quinn of Bridgewater, made them the only Blue Jay pair going 3-0. Calabro and sophomore Taylor Helsel also earned a 2-1 record at No. 2 over Shenandoah’s Amy Rapp and Jannella Williams 8-3 and Bridgewater’s Ashley Price and Leanne Smithers 8-4. In addition, sophomores Erin Clay and Brooke Hillriegel won a pair of matches over Shenandoah 8-1 on Saturday and 8-3 on Sunday. Top players Evangelista and Pellegrino won their first match 8-4, and finished the weekend 2-1.
Etown went a combined 4-0 in doubles on Saturday.
The girls took the court for a singles match Sunday to polish off in round-robin plays and compiled a 5-2 record.
The Blue Jays ended the invitational with an .833 winning percentage (20-4) in singles and an .818 (9-2) success rate in 11 doubles matches. They will now focus on the USTA-ITA Southeast Regional Championships, which will take place at the University of Mary Washington on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 20-21.
