After a big shutout 7-0 win against Providence on Friday, March 22, the UConn Huskies looked to continue their winning streak as they faced the University of Massachusetts Minutemen on Wednesday in Manchester at Magic Lincer Academy.
The Huskies had a stellar start to the match, especially with their doubles play.
Starting for the Huskies, juniors Olivia Wright and Marie Constantinou took down the senior duo of Danielle Hack and Thamonpan Jonglertrakul, defeating them 6-4.
Isabel Petri Bere and Caroline Hinshaw clinched the doubles point for the Huskies, after dating UMass’s Ella Faessler and Amelia Tye, 6-2 and the Huskies were heading into singles play winning 1-0.
Heading into this matchup, Connecticut’s record was 9-6, while the Minutemen’s record was 8-6, so it was safe to say that Connecticut wasn’t going to go down without a fight. That was certainly what they faced in singles play.
Wright and Constantinou both took the first two singles points for the Huskies, with the Virginia native winning in two straight sets. Constantinou had a bigger feat for the Huskies after losing her first set to Jonglertrakul, but was able to pick herself up by the bootstraps and win in two straight sets, 7-5 and 6-3.
At this point, the Huskies were at 3-0 scoring-wise but started to dig themselves into a hole.
Petri Bere was defeated after being shutout in the first set, 6-0, and the third set, 4-6, even though she won the middle set, 6-3.
Hinshaw was also defeated by her opponent in two straight sets.
Those two straight losses put the score at 3-2 and the Huskies needed another point to officially solidify the win.
That is where sophomore Cameron Didion came into play.
Even with the loss of her middle set, 4-6, she was able to start and end with two winning sets 6-4 and 6-3.
With these wins by Didion, the Huskies won the match 4-3, elevating their record to 10-6. Didion has proven herself time and time again to be a clutch player for the Huskies, especially in the moments they need it most.
The Huskies will ride this high after two straight wins and next up, they will travel to Washington, D.C. to play the Georgetown Hoyas on Saturday, April 6 at 11 a.m. That will be their third to last matchup of the season as they hope to end the season off on a high note.