In dominant fashion, No. 7 Texas swept West Virginia on Friday, shutting out their opponent with a 7-0 victory. This marks Texas’ second consecutive win since Big 12 play started, making them undefeated in conference play thus far.
When the match began, the Longhorn’s biggest competitor was not West Virginia, but the heat. On a dry Friday afternoon in Texas, the temperature reached as high as 81 degrees, though it felt like 90. With the constant cardio involved in tennis, heat such as Friday’s can become an additional obstacle towards victory. Luckily for the team, a cool breeze drifted in, creating much more favorable conditions.
Missing from today’s match was standout player and junior Sabina Zeynalova. Zeynalova played a major role in Texas’ previous victory over Oklahoma, completing a comeback in the last match of the day helped Texas to squeak by their longtime rival and win their first Big 12 match of the season. Wanting to rest one of his best players, head coach Howard Joffe decided to sit Zeynalova.
Stepping in to take over for Zeynalova was senior Malaika Rapolu. Currently, Rapolu is the second highest-ranked player on the team at No. 21 in ITA rankings. She closely trails Zeynalova who is currently No. 20. With Friday’s victory Rapolu improves her singles record to 28–3.
“She was a really bright spot in relation to really showing that she was substantially better than her opponent,” Joffe said. “I’m very pleased for her and very proud of her.”
Rapolu’s match was the quickest of the day, soundly defeating her opponent and graduate student Love-Star Alexis. With a complete shutout in both sets, there was little hope for Alexis throughout the match. Today’s dominance from the Longhorns displays the type of play they have been demonstrating all season.
“It was my first time playing number one, so I was a little stressed before starting the match, but obviously always awesome to be able to get a good win,” Rapolu said.
Making her debut for the Longhorns was freshman Shachf Lieberman. Lieberman was the last match of the day and, though Texas had already secured victory, they allowed hers and other matches to play out. With her whole team standing beside her court to watch, the Longhorns’ newest member pulled out her first victory with a win in the third and final set.
“That’s probably the brightest spot of the day. … Shachf (Lieberman) has not competed once, … she’s of course trained, she’s an excellent student, but for the last two months she has not competed at all,” Joffe said. “To come away with a win … I was really proud of her.”
The weekend ahead is a busy one for the women’s tennis team. With only a couple of days for recuperation, the team again takes action Sunday against Cincinnati. In an effort to maintain their undefeated Big 12 streak, the Longhorns will need to continue their success this weekend. The match will take place at 11 a.m. at home at the Texas Tennis Center.
