The Westmont women’s tennis team (4-6, 2-0 GSAC) continued to test itself against top talent on Wednesday, when the Warriors hosted No. 4 Louisiana State Alexandra (10-0) in Montecito.
The fourth-ranked Generals defeated the Warriors 6-1 as Westmont continued to sharpen themselves.
“I’m really happy with the level we played at,” said Westmont associate head coach Cade Pierson. “Going in, we knew this was a top team in the NAIA; it’s no secret. We knew we had to bring in, and I thought we did. I felt like a lot of the matches were close although the scores might’ve not made it seem that way.
“I think we can take a lot of confidence from this match knowing we went toe-to-toe with this team. I hope our team finds confidence from this match, while also staying hungry and demanding more of themselves going forward.”
In doubles play, the Generals swept the Warriors, with the closest match taking place on court one. At number one, Rachal Jackson and Christine Hemry fell to Olivia Scattini and Annemart Kleijn 6-4.
“In doubles I thought our first team played really well, ” Pierson said. “It was tough playing from behind the whole match, but their opponents really had to step it up to remain out in front. Our number one team played a really solid match, and it just came down to a couple points in the end.”
In singles play, the Generals took the first five matches and clinched the match relatively quickly. Some notable scores included Annemart defeated Hemry 6-4, 6-2 on court four, and Maria Alvarez defeating Jackson 6-2, 6-4 on court one. On court two, Emily Peterson fell to Alicia Romero 6-2, 6-3.
Westmont’s lone win of the day was on court three, which ended up being the final match left to be decided. On three, Francesca Aguirre out-willed Scattini 6-3, 6-4 to put her team on the board.
“Francesca really stood out,” noted Pierson. “It was a standard match for her. She had a great first set, and then her opponent really stepped up and challenged her in the second. Francesca remained composed and stuck it out and that’s what you can expect from her.”
Westmont returns to action with a pair of GSAC matches this weekend at home. On Friday, the Warriors host OUAZ (5-4, 2-0 GSAC), and on Saturday, the club hosts Arizona Christian (2-7, 1-1 GSAC).
“We should be proud of our performance today,” Pierson said, “while also finding balance in recognizing what we need to do to get better. On top of that, being able to have some short-term memory loss and let go of the feeling is important. We have to be happy with our effort, but never satisfied in losing.”
Jacob Norling is the sports information assistant at Westmont College.
email: sports@newspress.com
