It would have been understandable if the Terrapins tennis team had shown a bit of frustration. After all, two more losses meant the Terps were still winless on the road and in conference play.
But when asked for an assessment of her squad’s performance, coach Daria Panova didn’t want to dwell on the negatives. She preferred to praise the performance of her No. 1 and 2 doubles pairings on Saturday.
“In doubles, the way we played against Clemson’s doubles, especially the performance from one and two, was the best performance I’ve ever seen as a coach,” Panova said. “One and two showed amazing fight.”
Those two victories gave the Terps the doubles point and an early 1-0 lead. Unfortunately, those were the lone wins and only point the Terps (5-10, 0-5 ACC) would tally all weekend. No. 15 Clemson (9-5, 4-1) proceeded to take all six singles matches in straight sets, winning 6-1. They Terps followed that performance with a 4-0 loss at Georgia Tech yesterday.
Prior to that match, Panova made another singles lineup change involving freshman Gabriela Srodowski, who has played in the 4th, 5th and 6th position this season. This time, Srodowski dropped from the No. 5 spot to No. 6, while freshman Nataylia Bredikhina slid up to take her place.
“The way [Bredikhina] has been working — practicing and condition — she simply deserves to be there,” Panova said. “My lineup changes are based on how people work and how much effort they put in.”
Neither Bredikhina nor Srodowski won this weekend, but Srodowski was only defeated once due to the match with Georgia Tech ending early.
Prior to the match, Panova and Yellow Jackets coach Rodney Harmon decided to end the match when either squad got the four points needed for a team victory regardless of the status of the other singles matches. Panova said the threat of rain, the length of time transitioning to the indoor courts and the Terps’ tight flight schedule all contributed to the decision.
And rain did disrupt the match during singles, forcing the teams to move indoors. The break did little to slow the Yellow Jackets’ (9-6, 3-2) momentum, though, as a 1-0 deficit progressed into a shutout of the Terps. Along with Srodowski, freshman Olga Bredikhina and senior Vroni Van Berlo didn’t get to finish their matches. No Terp even won a set in singles this weekend.
The Terps’ doubles play shows an improvement in singles is possible, though. The Terps have won the doubles point in two of the past three matches. Prior to that streak, the Terps had fallen into a 1-0 hole during the previous five matches. Panova was especially effusive of her No. 1 pairing, Van Berlo and freshman Sarah Gealer.
“The way they played against Clemson Saturday,” Panova said, “they proved they should be a No. 1 doubles team in the ACC.”
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