The Prairie View women’s tennis team played host to the University of Texas-Pan American Lady Broncos on March 8. The Lady Broncos proved to be too much for the Lady Panthers as they swept the Panthers 7-0.
Doubles action started off the day with the Lady Broncos taking all three matches. Giana Oliveira and Luisa Cantu handed Melanie Brown and Samantha Cantu an 8-4 setback in the top flight, while the duo of Silke Buksik and Megan Bedeau composed an 8-3 win over Melissa Guerrier and Jessica Aguilar in the number-two flight.
Recording the final match in doubles action were Julia Cirne-Lima and Stephanie Willerding with an 8-6 victory over Antoinette Majors and Kori Linzie.
The Lady Broncos continued to dominate the Lady Panthers as they swept all six matches in singles action. Oliveira took a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Brown in the number-one spot of the rotation, while Cirne-Lima handed Cantu a 6-1, 6-3 setback in the number-two lineup spot.
Cantu, the team’s number one player, had a huge win last week over a player from Alabama A&M’s championship team from a year ago in the East vs. West Round Up.
Willerding recorded a 6-1, 6-1 win over Guerrier in the number-three spot of the rotation while Bedeau picked up a 6-2, 6-3 decision over Aguilar in the fourth flight. Buksik handed Majors a 6-2, 6-2 setback in the number five spot, while Cantu collected a 6-0, 6-0 win against Traci Quan in the sixth flight.
Abilene Christian College rolled into Prairie View March 14 to battle. The Panthers, once again, were swept, but gave Abilene a run for their money.
Coach Cochran said, “The team played well, but their intensity just didn’t match.”
Despite the loss, the Lady Panthers are still pushing for the SWAC tournament. They are 2-1 in the conference and will play Marist College, March 20 in Prairie View before the West vs. West Round Up.
In the West vs. West Round Up, the Lady Panthers will face other schools in the western division of the SWAC to determine the seeding for the conference tournament. Prairie View will host the West vs. West tournament March 21-22.