Charlotte women’s tennis picks up 29 wins in Charlotte Fall Invite – Niner Times
At the Charlotte Fall Invite from Friday, Sept. 23 to Sunday, Sept. 25, the Charlotte women’s tennis team put together a strong 29-11 combined singles and doubles record.
The Charlotte Invite marked the first time this season that the complete Charlotte women’s tennis team roster saw playing time, including the two seniors, Margaux Maquet and Kaavya Sawhney, who reached 105 and 102 career victories, respectively.
Head Coach Anthony Davidson said the team was at the top of their game.
“I was proud of the ladies’ efforts this weekend. We played with intensity and professionalism. There were lots of positive signs for a big year ahead.” said Davidson.
How it happened
Charlotte’s elite showing was spearheaded by their impressive singles record of 18-4, with Maquet, Sawhney and Emma Wilkins boasting an undefeated 3-0 singles record.
Sawhney continued her dominant campaign in singles matches, bringing her to a 6-0 record to start the fall season.
Right on the tail of Maquet and Sawhney’s 100 wins milestone is Ruxi Schech, who left the Halton-Wagner Tennis Complex on Sunday with 97 combined wins, which leaves her tied at No. 26 on the all-time combined wins list for Charlotte.
Newcomers Lucia Aranda and Emma Van Poppel showed promise as they went 2-1 and 1-1 in their singles matches, with Iowa players Anya Lamoreaux and Vipasha Mehra proving to be the only formidable foes for the freshmen.
After going 0-3 at the Elon Fall Invitational, Maddie Brown bounced back in singles with a respectable 1-1 record, beating Iowa’s Pia Kranholdt on Saturday.
As for doubles, Charlotte seniors Schech and Sawhney led the way with their 4-1 record, beating the likes of Clemson, ETSU, and Penn State.
While last year All-Conference USA First-Team doubles duo of Maquet and Lucia Quiterio finished with a 2-1 record. Maquet and Quiterio will compete in the upcoming ITA All-Americans in Cary, N.C., as a doubles tandem, making history as the first two athletes to represent Charlotte at the prestigious women’s tennis event.
Takeaways
After a .500 singles win percentage at the Elon Fall Invitational, Charlotte bounced back with a .818 win percentage at the Charlotte invite, bringing the season average to .706 in singles, officially passing last season’s average of .596.
While it’s hard to make any official predictions about the season after just two meets, it’s safe to say Charlotte has a lot to look forward to with their mix of savvy, seasoned veterans and two freshmen with their 6-5 combined singles record.
With Charlotte’s first tournament less than a week away, the women’s tennis team looks poised to make a serious splash by the sea on the clay courts, led by seniors Sawhney, Schech, and Brown.
Next up
The 49ers will be back in action from Friday, Sept. 30 to Sunday, Oct. 2, at the Sea Pines College Tournament in Hilton Head Island, S.C.