Trojans rally back with sweep at home

Brady Fitch photo Gabrielle Leslie extends the rally with a backhand slice.

The Troy women’s tennis team rebounded from a few tough road losses with two major Sun Belt Conference wins at home this past weekend.

The Trojans, who were shut out in their two previous conference matchups against Appalachian State and Marshall, ferociously defended their home court with victories over Southern Miss and archrival South Alabama.

On Saturday, the Trojans blanked the Golden Eagles with a convincing 4-0 shutout.

After a dominating 6-0 victory by Hagar Ramadan-Amin and Leena Metwally on court three, the Trojans needed another line of doubles to gain the doubles point.

After a Troy loss on court one, it came down to the tightly contested doubles match on court two. Kristina Kukaras and Emilia Namyslo eventually prevailed for the Trojans in a set tiebreak 7-6 (7-4).

Maria Guirguis provided another excellent performance and was up 6-2, 3-0 when her opponent was forced to retire from the match.

Freshman Metwally kept her momentum from her excellent doubles match with a 6-2, 6-3 victory for the Trojans on court five. Metwally improved to 9-3 on court five in singles with an additional victory on court six.

Then, junior Ramadan-Amin completed the shutout with a 6-2, 6-2 victory on court two. The remaining matches went unfinished as the Trojans booked a 4-0 victory over the Golden Eagles.

On Sunday, Troy women’s tennis secured its first victory against South Alabama in over a decade.

The Trojans split the first two doubles matches leaving Kukaras and Namyslo with the vital responsibility of procuring the crucial doubles point. They delivered again in the clutch with another tight victory 7-5.

Troy women’s tennis is now 6-0 on the year when possessing the pivotal doubles point.

Valeriia Avdeeva built on the early lead with a 7-5, 6-1 performance on court three, but losses to the Jaguars on courts one and two knotted things back up at 2-2.

Court six staple Gabrielle Leslie served up her ninth singles win of the season 7-5, 6-0 to push the Trojans back in front.

Guirguis shined again with an impressive 6-4, 7-6 (7-2) showing on court three to ensure a Trojan victory.

Finally, Metwally battled out in a marathon match on court six and claimed a gritty 5-7, 7-5, 10-7 win.

The Trojans, who are 9-6 overall, improved to 6-1 at home and 3-2 in the Sun Belt Conference. Troy will look to extend its two-match winning streak as the team travels to Georgia State on March 30 in another essential conference matchup.