Box Score DAYTON – Dayton women's tennis team picked up a big win over in-city rival Wright State by a score of 4-3 on Sunday morning. The match was tied at three games apiece when sophomore
Natalie Allen clinched the match at the No. 6 singles spot. Allen was trailing in the third set, 3-2, but rattled off four consecutive games to win the match and give the Flyers their second straight victory. This was Dayton's fourth consecutive match against Wright State that has finished with a final score of 4-3 and was the first time the Flyers were victorious in the matchup since Feb. 15, 2018.
Dayton began the match in a 1-0 hole after dropping the doubles point, but junior
Mattea Kilstofte quickly evened the score up at 1-1 with a straight sets victory over Haily Morgan by a score of 7-6 (5), 6-1. Wright State would eventually regain a 3-2 lead with courts five and six remaining, but the backend of the lineup for the Flyers came through in the clutch. Â Freshman
Kelly Pleiman won her match over Jillian Milano by a line of 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 to set up Allen's winning point.
Dayton will have three matches next weekend in the Pittsburgh area, including its first two conference matches of the season. The Flyers will open the weekend against Duquense at 1 p.m. and will play against George Mason at Duquesne's facility at 4 p.m. The weekend will conclude with a matchup against Saint Francis (PA) at 1 p.m. Look below for quotes from Allen and head coach
Erica Echko, along with full results from Sunday's match against Wright State:
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WHAT THEY'RE SAYING
Sophomore Natalie Allen
On clinching the match for the team with all of the fans and teammates watching:
"It felt great. That's something that really makes an impact – all of the cheering and energy feeds into the match and helps keeps you confident and the motivation going."
On the keys to winning her match:
"Staying confident and not giving up when you get down. I lost the first set and it would be easy to get discouraged, but staying positive and believing in yourself is the most important part. There's never a moment where the match is over until you shake hands with your opponent."
Head coach Erica Echko
On the rivalry with Wright State and why the matches have been so close each of the past four years:
"We both recruit kids from a similar geographic footprint. A lot of these girls know each other and have been competing against one another since they were 12 years old, which always adds an exciting element to the match. Wright State is probably the non-conference match I want to win most on our schedule every year."
On beginning conference play next weekend:
"Duquesne was our biggest win last year and was a big reason we were able to secure the No. 6 seed in the conference tournament last year, so that's obviously a big match. Both teams have a lot of seniors in their lineups, so the match could really go either way. Doubles will once again be really important this weekend. We only have five conference matches, so the better you do in your limited sample size, the better seed you get, which makes this weekend important."
RESULTS
Dayton 4, Wright State 3
Doubles
1) Haller/Morgan (WSU) vs. Bridgham/Kilstofte (UD); 4-3 (Unfinished)
2) Pelayo/Whitney (WSU) def. Kawamoto/Kawamoto (UD); 6-2
3) Riley/Milano (WSU) def. Allen/Pleiman (UD); 6-2
Order of Finish: 2, 3
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Singles
1) Karoline Haller (WSU) def.
Marlys Bridgham (UD); 6-2, 6-7, 6-0
2)
Mattea Kilstofte (UD) def. Haily Morgan (WSU); 7-6 (5), 6-1
3) Luisa Pelayo (WSU) def.
Jackie Kawamoto (UD); 6-4, 6-3
4)
Jade Kawamoto (UD) def. Madison Riley (WSU); 6-0, 2-6, 6-3
5)
Kelly Pleiman (UD) def. Jillian Milano (WSU); 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
6)
Natalie Allen (UD) def. Grace Whitney (WSU); 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-3
Order of Finish: 2, 3, 1, 4, 5, 6
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