ORLANDO, Fla. – The Lee women's tennis started its Spring Break trip off in style with a 5-2 victory over Tarelton State on Monday afternoon.
The Lady Flames earned the double point with wins at No. 1 and No. 3. Matina Ujdur and Micaela Belen Maiz rolled to a 6-1 win over Nathalie Ulander and Celia Vaudiau at the one spot while Lauren Trammell and Sierra Donaldson breezed past Delfina Rodriguez and Aubry Hutson, 6-1.
"Mica (Belen Maiz) has been unbelievable for us this year. She played fantastic with Matina at 1 today, then gave our team a huge energy boost," said Lee head coach Patric Hynes. "
Belen Maiz kept things kept things rolling at No. 2 singles with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Ulander. Donaldson outlasted Palatte at No. 4 singles in a three-set battle (2-6, 6-4, 11-9), Trammell rolled, 6-1, 6-1 over Rodriguez while Dana Moreno clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-1 win at the five spot over Hutson.
"Hadley (Lauren Trammell) has found some good form, I think that win on Saturday helped her a lot. We need her vocal presence out there," said Hynes. "Sierra is getting better with each match and she refused to go away, even when she was down 6-9 in the 10-point tiebreaker. Great for her to come through in those circumstances. Dana has played some good tennis for us this year and she's growing in confidence with every match."
Carley Sickinger suffered a loss at one to Alicia Barbaroux, 6-0, 6-2 while Ujdur lost in three sets to Vaudiau in three sets.
"We've been really close the last few matches and today our girls broke through. It just took a lot of determination and belief. Good win for us, especially without Lisa out there. Other girls are stepping up," noted Hynes.
The Lady Flames improve to 4-5 on the year while Tarleton State drops to an even 4-4. Lee continue its four-match Spring Break tour on Tuesday with a doubleheader. Up first is an early morning matchup with the University of Mary at 8 a.m. with a primetime nightcap against Winona State at 7 p.m. The trip wraps up on Friday against Indiana University of Pennsylvania at 3 p.m.
