Junior Dany Raygadas, above, paired up with junior Madina Vorotnikova to win the doubles games. However, Raygadas lost her singles match in three sets.
Nikisun Shrestha/ The Lion's Roar

The Lady Lions tennis team continued their winning start to the season with a 4-3 victory at home against Jackson State, following their triumph against LSU Alexandria earlier in the season.

The Lady Lions had to fight for their victory with the doubles point being decisive to their victory as they split the singles matches.

“We weren’t as mentally sharp as we need to be, but I was happy that in doubles today, we were very aggressive,” said tennis Head Coach Jason Hayes. “We were not scared, but we’re still not where we need to be mentally. We’ve got plenty of time, and we’re gonna work on it.”

Hayes also complimented the opposition for competing in both the singles and the doubles category. He also saw some room for improvement for the Lady Lions. 

“Jackson State’s a good team,” said Hayes. “They were a better team than we thought they were gonna be. So, we really had to play our best tennis today. We didn’t play the best we could play but we played good enough to beat them and we need to play better.”

Juniors Fleur Holtkamp, Dalina Dahlmans and Madina Vorotnikova were instrumental in the team’s victory as they were victorious in both their categories. Holtkamp and Dahlmans teamed up to register a 6-4 win while Vorotnikova and Dany Raygadas paired up to get a 6-3 victory.

In the singles game, Holtkamp took the match with a 7-6, 6-0 victory while Dahlmans got past her opponent with a 6-3, 6-4 win. Both of them extended their singles and doubles record to 2-0 for the season. Vorotnikova, playing her first game of the season, registered a 6-2, 6-4 victory.

Despite the victory, Hayes still thinks there is a long way to go for the team to advance in the season. 

“Unfortunately, there was a bunch of new mistakes today,” said Hayes. “These girls, they play with a lot of heart. Sometimes, we’re not as good as the team we’re gonna play. We’re just gonna have to find a way to win those matches. It’s difficult because we really need to be a lot more mentally stronger.”

The Lady Lions will play on the road as they visit Southern University on Feb. 16 and University of South Alabama on Feb. 18. They will return to home to play Alcorn State on Feb. 21. 

“This is gonna be a tough week,” said Hayes. “We need to rest, but at the same time, we need to be busy. We got to work hard. The next 72 hours are going to be so important for us before we go to Baton Rouge.” 

Junior Dalina Dahlmans extended her undefeated start to the season against Jackson State this past Saturday. She won both her singles and doubles matches.
Nikisun Shrestha/ The Lion's Roar