FARMVILLE, Va. – When opening a new home, a team-wide sweep is an impressive way to leave a first impression.
More than a year in waiting, following last season's mid-year cancellation of the spring season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Longwood women's tennis (1-2) kicked off their 2021 home slate with a 7-0 sweep over Southern Virginia on the New Lancer Courts.
The new tennis campus, located on the south end of Longwood University, boasts six courts split into a multi-level venue with room for spectators both between and around two three-court enclosures. Longwood welcomed their new home with a dominating performance in which they didn't drop a single set across both singles and doubles.
The youthful Lancers, a group that starts three freshmen, looked like veterans on their new home court, as
Nina Hederich,
Zoe Barton and
Adelaide Thuilot all picked up their first collegiate victories on Thursday afternoon.
Emma Nurgazieva,
Maria Saez, and
Crystal Nzewi rounded out the Longwood lineup, as the group dropped just 11 games across 12 set victories in singles play.
The Lancers were as sharp in doubles play, winning all-three matchups to secure their first point of 2021. Nurgazieva and Barton highlighted the double pairings, dropping just one game in a 6-1 victory in the second position.
Thuilot got the Lancers on the board first in solo play, beating Alyssa Sewell 6-1, 6-1 in the first completed match of the dual, giving Longwood a 2-0 lead after already securing the doubles point. Nurgazieva made her season debut in the first position, beating Southern Virginia's Lindsey Brown 6-1, 6-1 to inflate the Lancer lead to 3-0.
Saez, playing in the second position, beat Anna Peterson 6-1, 6-1 to clinch the match-sealing fourth point for Longwood. Barton, Hederich, and Nzewi would follow with wins to make it a sweep for the Lancers.
Thursday's win marks the first 7-0 victory for Longwood since Feb. 2, 2020, when they defeated Bluefield State College by the same margin. The Lancers finished the 2020 season with a 7-3 record, as the season was cut short prior to the opening of the new Lancer courts.
Longwood will have another chance to defend their new home on Saturday, Feb. 27 when they host Towson. The dual is scheduled to start at 12 p.m.
#GoWood
