The women’s tennis team traveled to Saint Peter, Minn. last weekend to compete in the USTA/ITA Midwest Regional Championships at Gustavus Adolphus.
Unlike conference matches, where the team collectively competes for a win, the ITA Championships feature individual singles players and doubles teams competing to qualify for nationals.
Lawrence sent freshman Gayatri Malhotra, sophomore Jennifer Roesch and junior captain Beth Larson to play in this intense competition, but the Vikings had a rough start.
Malhotra and Roesch played hard, but came up short in their singles matches. Larson lost her first match, but quickly pulled herself together to win the next four matches in landslide victories, with scores of 6-0, 6-3; 8-2; 8-3; and 8-5. Her four-game winning streak pushed her to the consolation finals, where she played a close match but ultimately lost 7-9.
Larson and Roesch won their first doubles match against a pair from Hamline, but lost their second against the team from UW-Stout.
In response to the overall atmosphere of the tournament, Beth Larson noted, “I love playing in the ITAs because it’s a great opportunity to play against a higher level of competition.”
The women’s tennis team plays two conference matches at home this Saturday, starting with a match at 9 a.m. against Monmouth and finishing at 2 p.m. against Knox.
Viking women’s tennis battles at ITA Championships
