The UConn women’s tennis team will have their seventh meet of the regular season on Thursday against Sacred Heart University (SHU). The match will take place on the Huskies home court, at the Magic Lincer Tennis Club in Manchester, Conn.
The Huskies have had a dominant start to the regular season with a 5-1 record and an undefeated, 2-0 record in the Big East Conference. The program’s last matchup was against Georgetown University, where they had their first victory over the Hoyas since rejoining the Big East. Senior Olivia Wright and senior Maria Constantinou have proven to be a formidable duo, continuing their undefeated doubles streak with a 6-3 match win. Senior Isabel Petri Bere and sophomore Victoria Matos were also a powerful duo in the matchup, winning 6-2. These two duos will be key players for the Huskies in this week’s matchup.
Wright, Constantinou and Bere are also dominant singles players. They each showed their strength in their matchups against Seton Hall University, contributing to the 4-0 win. Constantinou played in No. 2 singles and won in straight sets (6-2, 6-3). Bere played in No. 3 singles and also won in straight sets (6-3, 6-3). Wright played in No. 1 singles and fought to the end to win in the last set. These players will provide immense competition for the Pioneers.
The Pioneers have had a shaky start to the season with a 1-2 record. The team’s 4-3 win over Stonehill College displayed their strength and key players. Freshman Ola Irla Bartyzel secured the win for the Pioneers in a tight three-set singles match (6-2, 4-6, 6-4). Bartyzel is also dominant in doubles with partner senior Aina Garriga, achieving a 7-5 victory against Seton Hall University. Freshman Kiah James and freshman Olivia Zuba are also a dominant duo. They secured a 6-1 win in doubles against Seton Hall University. These duos will provide a challenge for the Huskies.
The Huskies and the Pioneers last matched up last season, where the Huskies came out with a 5-2 win. The team stumbled in the doubles but were able to bounce back in the singles with five straight set singles wins. The team will hope to bring dominance in both the singles and the doubles for this season’s matchup. The players matched up earlier in the season for preseason dual play; however, no team scores were recorded.
The match will take place at 1:00 p.m. and is a must watch due to the impressive performances put on by both teams in their matchups this season.