A short rest after a long trip back from Florida didn't faze the Hillsdale College women's tennis team, as the Chargers dominated a critical match against G-MAC newcomer Ashland for a 6-1 victory in both teams' conference opener.
The Chargers rolled to victory in all three doubles flights, led by the top team of Sarah Hackman and Melanie Zampardo, who won a 6-1 victory over Ashland's No. 1 doubles pairing. Hillsdale's Canela Luna and Sophia Spinazze also took a 6-2 victory at No. 2 doubles, and the Chargers' Libby McGivern and Ellie Chawner completed the sweep with a 6-1 victory.
That momentum carried over to singles play, where the Chargers won five of six flights in straight sets. Hackman led the charge for Hillsdale with a 6-2, 6-2 victory over Ashland's Gabriella Hudec at No. 1 singles, while McGivern took a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 2 singles as well.
Zampardo won a 6-1, 6-1 match for the Chargers at No. 3 singles, Luan took a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Ashland's Claudia Adcock at No. 4 singles, and Sophia Spinazze won a 6-1, 6-1 victory over Alice Adin of Ashland at No. 5 singles.
The Chargers are now 5-6 overall and 1-0 in the G-MAC. The victory is a crucial one for Hillsdale as the Chargers, along with Findlay, Walsh and Tiffin, have been the four teams to qualify for the G-MAC Tournament in every season since Tiffin joined the conference in 2018-19. As a newcomer to the league, Ashland represented a threat to breaking up that group, but with Hillsdale's victory, the Chargers can feel good about their chances to qualify as long as they can stay focused and get wins against Kentucky Wesleyan and Cedarville over the next two weekends. Hillsdale plays the Panthers for its next match on Saturday, March 26.
Photo by Gwen Buchhop