Lady Scots take the ‘pride’ out of Greensboro

No. 5 Polyxeni Pavlides stretches out for a cross-court backhand. Photo by Savannah Bain.
No. 5 Polyxeni Pavlides stretches out for a cross-court backhand. Photo by Savannah Bain.

The Lady Scots tennis team played their first conference matches of the season after postponing their opening due to the weather.

On Feb. 27, the Lady Scots lost to a strong Covenant roster. For some, this was their first conference tennis match and posed many challenges. Freshman Savannah Bain has struggled with shin splints for a majority of the spring season.

“Coming into spring season with an injury was frustrating. After many visits to the training room they said I could hit, and believe me, I didn’t give them a chance to change their minds,” Bain said.

“Our first match was a moment I had been training for four years, and suddenly I was on the bench being treated for my rolled ankle, refusing to quit. I finished the match.”

For another freshman, Polyxeni “Jenny” Pavlides, not only was this her first conference match, it was also the moment that moving 9 hours away from home became worth it.

“Losing 6-2 6-1 was devastating, but to know that you did your best is all we can do,” Pavlides said. “For the coaches to believe in me after losing helped me walk off the courts with gratitude and confidence.”

“My dream to play in college goes way back to high school. Florida does not have Division III schools. So when I found Maryville, though far, it was perfect.”

Of all of the matches that took place, two stood out the most. Senior Caitlin Jenning’s slim 6-4 defeat in the first set was a hard loss. The No. 3 doubles team also fought hard against Covenant. The duo, Madison Reilly and Pavlides, took 3 game points in their 8-3 loss to the blue-clad Scots.

Sunday Feb. 28, however, was a new story for the Lady Scots. Greensboro College was the day’s opponent, and the ladies of Maryville College were ready to take back something that was lost the previous day.

The box scores of this match seemed like night and day. The Lady Scots took the W against the Pride of Greensboro 9-0.

The Lady Pride automatically forfeited three points because of a withering roster. By the time singles came around, the match had already been won.

Coach Diedra Dunn put the fate of the rest of the score in the hands of four ladies. Senior Maddy Little won her match 6-3, 6-3 and fellow senior Caitlin Jennings took hers with a score of 6-0, 6-0. Being the last first-weekend for both Lady Scots and coming out of it 1 and 1 created some nostalgia for both players.

Jennings reflected on her last four years: “It’s exciting because I love tennis season, but also bittersweet for the same reason. It really hasn’t sunk in yet that this will be my last year playing for Maryville.”

The Lady Scots next faced off against the Lagrange Panthers on Mar. 5 at their home court. The match was a definite struggle for the women as their hustle resulted in a minor injury for Jennings during doubles-play, who was then seated for the remainder of singles.

After a long battle, the ladies lost all three doubles and all six singles. Maryville looks to face Huntingdon College away on Mar. 12.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *