Racers Defeat Jacksonville State
3/18/2025 12:52:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Women’s Tennis Claims Fourth Consecutive Victory
Murray State Women's Tennis defeated Jacksonville State on Saturday, marking their fourth consecutive win and extending their streak to three straight victories over the Gamecocks.Â
In doubles action, the Racers took control on court No. 2, where the duo of Yu Kikawa and Yuna Kadowaki built a comfortable 5-2 lead. Jacksonville State held an edge on court No. 3 with a 5-3 advantage, while court No. 1 saw a back-and-forth battle as both teams traded leads from the opening point.Â
Valeria Chaikovskaia and Bruna Melato, playing on court No. 1, fought off three match points, shifting the momentum in Murray State's favor. Meanwhile, Varya Alexeyeva and Paola Campigotto completed a comeback victory, winning 7-5 to improve their season record to an impressive 18-2.Â
Moments later, Jacksonville State evened the doubles score with a 7-5 win on court No. 1. The Gamecocks staged an impressive comeback on court No. 2, winning four straight games to take a 6-5 lead in the deciding match.Â
Kikawa and Kadowaki remained composed under pressure, forcing a tiebreaker, where they delivered their strongest performance. The pair clinched a 7-6 victory, securing the doubles point for the Racers.Â
In singles play, Murray State's sophomores Chaikovskaia and Alexeyeva dominated their respective top-two spots, defeating their opponents in straight sets in just one hour. With their victories, the Racers jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Jacksonville State battled back, winning the first set on the remaining four courts.Â
Freshman Melato and senior Campigotto battled back to win their second sets, proving to be the difference-maker in the match. Meanwhile, freshmen Kikawa and Widan fought hard but fell in straight sets.Â
Melato stepped up once again, securing the decisive fourth point for the Racers with a 6-3 victory in the final set. Campigotto had a chance to add to the tally but fell just short, dropping a hard-fought third-set tiebreaker 12-10.Â
"It was a very windy day, and I told the girls that if we want to be successful, we have to embrace the challenges and find answers for whatever is thrown at us. They did a fantastic job with the controllables, and I couldn't be happier with the way we competed," said Head Coach Jorge Caetano. "Everyone played a huge role today. Even in the matches we lost, they showed great fight, helping us keep the momentum in our favor when it looked like JSU was going to pull off the comeback," added Caetano.Â
Players Mentioned
