Box Score
LAKELAND--The Southeastern Lady Fire tennis team earned a hard fought victory over Ave Maria University, Friday afternoon, at the Beerman Family Tennis Center. With the match all square at 4-4, freshman Stephanie Dodd defeated Eileen Lee 6-2, 6-4, to give the Lady Fire a 5-4 opening season win.
Southeastern played with just five players, forcing them to take two losses in the match. SEU had defaults in the third doubles match and the sixth position of singles.
In doubles play, Chelsey Lynn and Wendy Reade teamed up to defeat Ave's Heather Esker and Jaclyn Ruiz, 8-5. Then, Kristina Wisor and Dodd paired together to win over Julia Sadusky and Lee, 8-5. SEU led 2-1 after doubles, Ave's only point coming due to the default.
Ave received a point immediately at the start of singles play due to the default at the No. 6 position, tying the score 2-2.
SEU's Kristina Wisor and Wendy Reade both came up with big singles victories. Wisor ran past Ruiz, 6-2, 6-0 while Reade had a tough time with Sandusky, but eventually earned a huge point for SEU, 6-2, 6-3. The two singles victories helped Southeastern build a 4-2 lead.
Then, the match began to get closer. Ave Maria's Luciana Romero defeated Southeastern's Heather Erickson, 6-2, 6-1, making the score, 4-3, in favor of the Lady Fire.
Next, in the No. 1 singles position, Ave's Heather Esker battled and defeated SEU's Chelsey Lynn, 6-2, 6-3. Esker's victory tied the score at 4-4, placing all eyes on the match of Dodd and Lee.
Dodd's victory gave the Lady Fire a 5-4 win, and an important Sun Conference victory. Southeastern is now 1-0 overall, and 1-0 in conference play.
Doubles:
1. Chelsey Lynn/Wendy Reade (SEU) defeated Heather Esker/Jaclyn Ruiz (AM); 8-5
2. Kristina Wisor/Stephanie Dodd (SEU) defeated Eileen Lee/Julia Sadusky (AM); 8-5
3. SEU defaulted to AM
Singles:
1. Heather Esker (AM) defeated Chelsey Lynn (SEU); 6-2, 6-3.
2. Kristina Wisor (SEU) defeated Jaclyn Ruiz (AM); 6-2, 6-0.
3. Wendy Ready (SEU) defeated Julia Sadusky (AM); 6-2, 6-3.
4. Stephanie Dodd (SEU) defeated Eileen Lee (AM); 6-2, 6-4.
5. Luciana Romero (AM) defeated Heather Erickson (SEU); 6-2, 6-1.
6. AM won by default over SEU
