INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. - The Jaguars shrugged off their recent losing streak and fought off Marian's 1-0 advantage from a forfeited point to sweep the remaining matches and win 6-1.
Julie Brockman and
Abbey Neff controlled the No. 1 doubles match with strong play at the net. They hit 22 winners, but 17 of them were volleys or overhead smashes. Both sides had 13 unforced errors, but Marian managed just four winners. The wind caused some problems with Brockman's serve, including three double-faults during the final game. The Jaguars dominated once the ball was in play though, winning 84 percent of points on first serves including the final point when Neff hit a volley winner off the return between the Marian players.
Vanessa Whyte and
Bobbi Modesto weren't far behind their No. doubles counter parts. They finished their match in one less game, winning 8-1, and left the court just one minute later.
With the doubles point in hand, they moved on to singles.
The wind picked up as the singles matches began, blowing chairs onto the courts and lifting the net causing the singles sticks to fall out. It provided an additional challenge, but the Jaguars powered through with each player winning their opening set.
Brockman improved on her team leading singles win-total, blowing by her opponent 6-0, 6-0 and giving the Jaguars a 2-0 lead. Modesto was next to finish giving up just one game each set and Neff clinched the match soon thereafter with a 6-1, 6-2 win.
Rachael Bridegroom was the second to finish the first set, winning 6-2, but her opponent stepped up in the second set causing the No. 2 singles match to finish last. Bridegroom dominated the first set serving nearly 90 percent on her first serve and winning nearly 70 percent of those points. She hit five winners and didn't allow any from her opponent. The second set took a turn for the worse though. After taking a 3-1 lead, Bridegroom hit three straight unforced errors in back-to-back games including a double fault that set her opponent up to break back. Poor serving, partly due to the wind, caused her serve percentage for the match to drop below 70 percent, although she finished right at that mark. Fortunately for Bridegroom, the break point after her double fault was the only one she'd give up in the set. She stayed on serve, although trailing 3-4 and 4-5, then won three straight games to seal the match 6-2, 7-5.
The win was the second for the Jaguars this season and will send them into the conference schedule on a high note. They'll face a trio of conference foes next weekend when they travel to Fort Wayne.
Results
IUPUI 6, Marian 1
Singles:
1.
Vanessa Whyte (IUPUI) def. Brittney Horlacher (Marian) 6-3, 6-3
2.
Rachael Bridegroom (IUPUI) def. Hannah Knust (Marian) 6-2, 7-5
3.
Bobbi Modesto (IUPUI) def. player (Marian) 6-1, 6-1
4.
Julie Brockman (IUPUI) def. Olivia Pursell (Marian) 6-0, 6-0
5.
Abbey Neff (IUPUI) def. player (Marian) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles:
1. Julie Brockman/Abbey Neff (IUPUI) def. Brittney Horlacher/Hannah Knust (Marian) 8-2
2. Vanessa Whyte/Bobbi Modesto (IUPUI) def. Olivia Pursell/player (Marian) 8-1
Notes
IUPUI (2-14)
Marian (15-6)
Order: Doubles (1,2) Singles (4,3,5,1,2)