The Lady Rattlers tennis team had a rather blissful weekend as they beat up Winston-Salem State in a match that was just downright embarrassing.
Embarrassing for the opposition, that is.
The final score was 6-0 with the women’s tennis team emerging victorious. It was the second win in a row for the Lady Rattlers and the team said they feel relatively exultant about their success. Samaria Bailey, 21, who went head to head with Jessica Smith of the Lady Rams, said she is proud of the team.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Bailey, a magazine production student from Macon, Ga. “I’m proud of myself and I’m also proud of the team. I’m glad everyone was able to win their match.”
Bailey had the opportunity to showcase her tennis skills and dexterity during her doubles competition along side teammate Alice Izomor. Together, the two Lady Rattlers defeated Winston-Salem players Johanna Nunez and Gabrielle Benjamin with a superb score of 8-1.
Bailey said she wanted to win the match and remained focused in order to do so.
“I stayed aggressive and stayed focus,” Bailey said. “I kept my mind on the match at hand and did what I needed to do to be successful.”
Tennis player Lynisse Boyd, 19, said the win was fantastic but wishes the opposing team had been a little more aggressive.
“It was an easy win,” said Boyd, a freshman pre medical student from Atlanta. “They were OK players and they weren’t as good as we were. They lacked consistency.”
Teammate Sarah Brinkley, 20, agreed. She said the Lady Rams weren’t nearly as competitive as the Lady Rattlers.
“We were just a better team than they were,” said Brinkley, a sophomore psychology student from Indianapolis, Ind. Brinkley faced Benjamin during the singles competition and was victorious during both matches with scores of 6-2 and 6-1.
Bailey said she sees an improvement with the women’s tennis team. She said the team has definitely grown in terms of development.
“I think gradually we improved,” Bailey said. “Over time, we have gotten better in terms of competing. Basically, we’ve just done a better job overall as the season progressed.”
Brinkley said the Lady Rattlers are showing more confidence.
“There has definitely been improvement in doubles and we’re having more confidence in the game,” Brinkley said. “We’ve been having closer matches and have been able to pull out. I think it was really good for the team to win against Winston-Salem.”
Led by coach Rochelle Goldthreate, the women’s tennis team has lost eight games this season and has only won three. Despite this, the Lady Ratters said they are ready for the upcoming MEAC championship in Raleigh, NC.
“We’re more than ready,” Bailey said. “This is one of our main goals. I think everyone is prepared and that everyone is ready. We know what we need to do to be successful.”
Brinkley is of the same opinion.
“We need to win this,” she said, “and we will.”
The Lady Rattlers will finish their season in the MEAC championship, which begins Friday and concludes Sunday.