MARTIN, Tenn. – Southeast Missouri women's tennis (8-4, 1-0 OVC) downed UT Martin (0-9, 0-1 OVC), 6-1, Sunday afternoon at the Skyhawk Tennis Complex for SEMO's first Ohio Valley Conference win of the season in its league opener.
Romana Tarajova,
Kseniya Zonova and
Lera Valeeva each registered a pair of wins in both the singles and doubles competitions Sunday.
Ksenia Shikanova (doubles),
Daniela Hlacikova (singles) and
Vivian Lai (singles) also had match wins in the conference dual.
SEMO claimed the doubles point to open the dual with wins at the second and first positions.
Shikanova and Valeeva bested Aziza Aubin and Ariadna Ondo, 6-0, before Tarajova and Zonova defeated Amelia Campbell and Jule Streif, 6-4. Both SEMO's doubles team extended its win streaks to three with the victories.
When the competition shifted to singles, SEMO extended its lead to 6-0, rattling off wins at the fifth, third, second, sixth and first slots.
Vivian Lai defeated Mizuki Sakurai, 6-1, 6-2, for her fourth straight victory in 2021.
Zonova beat Aubin with ease, 6-3, 6-3, to halt a four-match losing skid.
Hlacikova then overcame Streif, 7-5, 6-4, to improve to 9-1 in 2021 with her first career OVC win.
Valeeva beat Ondo 6-1, 3-6, 6-2.
At the top position, Tarajova who was named to the 2021 OVC Preseason Team, edged Campbell, 3-6, 6-4, 6-0. The win was Tarajova's third straight this season.
The Skyhawks then earned their first point of the dual at no. 4 singles. Sina Albersmeier outlasted Shikanova, 3-6, 6-2, 6-3.
SEMO will next travel to Nashville, Tennessee, to compete against Belmont on March 27. Belmont was selected to finish fifth in the OVC.