Women's Tennis Opens Season with Win

Women's Tennis Opens Season with Win
Emma Onila beat two ranked opponents in singles and doubles play to open the season in No. 3 Barry's 9-0 sweep of No. 15 Florida Tech. Photo by Joel Auerbach

MIAMI SHORES, Fla. -- Barry University women's tennis team opened the season with a 9-0 sweep of No. 15 Florida Tech Saturday at Buccaneer Tennis Center.

The No. 3-ranked Buccaneers won all the matches in straight sets and handily took care of the doubles in a dominating opening day performance.

"It was pretty good tennis," Bucs coach Avi Kigel said.

Barry's No. 1-ranked doubles team of Emma Onila and Linda Fritschken beat No. 19 Kristina Huba and Natasa Vukovic, 8-3 at the No. 1 pairs flight. Onila, ranked No. 8 in singles, also beat the 12th-ranked Huba, 6-3, 7-5, at No. 1 singles in the toughest match of the day.

At No. 2 doubles, Kimmy Twelker and newcomer Anaeve Pain disposed of Jessica Widmark and Merritt Rabson, 8-2. Karina Goia and another Bucs rookie, Blanka Szavay, were 8-3 winners over Chloe Chanley and Katie Close at No. 3 pairs.

Fritschken, who opens the spring with a No. 31 ranking, beat Vukovic in a 6-0, 6-1 walkover. Goia, who earned a No. 19 singles ranking, defeated Widmark almost equally impressively, winning 6-0, 6-2. 

Pain won her first singles match as a Buccaneer, beating Rabson, 6-0, 6-2 at No. 4. Szavay also picked up her first singles victory in Barry Red and Black with a 6-2, 6-0 win over Chanley at No. 5. Barry senior Akemi Maehama swept Gwendolyn Kauffman, 6-0, 6-0, at No. 6.

The Bucs host NAIA No. 7-ranked Embry-Riddle, which will join the Sunshine State Conference next year, at 10 a.m. Sunday. 

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