Austin Peay State University Women’s Tennis beats UT Martin, 7-0

Martin, TN – The Austin Peay State University (APSU) women’s tennis team earned its eighth-straight win in a 7-0 Ohio Valley Conference victory against UT Martin, Friday, at the Skyhawks Tennis Complex, setting the stage for a first-place battle against Southeast Missouri Saturday afternoon.

In what has become a theme for Austin Peay (8-5, 4-0 OVC) over the last month, the Governors claimed the match’s first point after winning a pair of convincing doubles matches. 

In their first match together this spring, senior Aleks Topalovic and freshman Yu-Hua Cheng swept UT Martin’s Lia Espinal and Jilli Niedzialowski, 6-0, giving the Govs the early doubles advantage. 
 
Danielle Morris and Jana Leder earned their fifth win in as many matches from the No. 2 position, defeating UTM’s Aziza Aubin and Amelia Campbell, 6-3. In their quintet of matches together, Morris and Leder have combined to outscore their opponents, 30-8.
 
The reigning OVC Women’s Tennis Doubles Team of the Week, Denise Torrealba and Honoka Nakanishi’s match went unfinished while the duo led 5-2 against the Skyhawk’s Jule Streif and Sina Albersmeier.
 
The Govs have won 15 of their last 16 doubles matches and have now picked up the doubles point in seven-straight contests.
 
Senior Martina Paladini-Jennings kicked off the Govs in singles, defeating Campbell in a pair of 6-2 sets to pick up her ninth win. Seven of the London, England native’s wins this season have come in straight sets.

Torrealba matched Paladini-Jennings for a team-best nine wins this season with her seventh from the No. 1 position, following a convincing, 6-2, 6-0 win against Streif.

With the seventh win of her freshman campaign, Cheng clinched the victory for the APSU Govs in a 6-4, 6-2 win on the No. 6 line, while Morris remained perfect in singles play, winning 6-3, 6-3 from the No. 4 court.

After falling in her first set, Leder answered with a pair of commanding wins, defeating Albersmeier 6-2 in the subsequent set before sweeping her 6-0 in the final.

With the win already well in hand, Topalovic bounced back after dropping her first set, 6-0. The London, England native took the second, 6-2, before defeating Aubin 7-4 in the tiebreaker for her fifth win.
 
The Austin Peay State Unviersity’s sweep against UT Martin is their fourth of the season and first since a 7-0 victory against the University of the Cumberlands, on March 24th.

Results vs. UT Martin 

Doubles

1. Denise Torrealba / Honoka Nakanishi (APSU) vs. Jule Streif / Sina Albersmeier (UTM), Unfinished at 5-2
2. Jana Leder / Danielle Morris (APSU) def. Aziza Aubin / Amelia Campbell (UTM), 6-3
3. Aleks Topalovic / Yu-Hua Cheng (APSU) def. Lia Espinal / Jilli Niedzialowski (UTM), 6-0

Order of Finish: 3, 2*

Singles

1. Denise Torrealba (APSU) def. Jule Streif (UTM), 6-2, 6-0
2. Jana Leder (APSU) def. Sina Albersmeier (UTM), 2-6, 6-2, 6-0
3. Martina Paladini-Jennings (APSU) def. Amelia Campbell (UTM), 6-2, 6-2
4. Danielle Morris (APSU) def. Lia Espinal (UTM), 6-3, 6-3
5. Aleks Topalovic (APSU) def. Aziza Aubin (UTM), 0-6, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4)
6. Yu-Hua Cheng (APSU) def. Mizuki Sakurai (UTM), 6-4, 6-2

Order of Finish: 3, 1, 6*, 4, 2, 5

Follow the APSU Govs

For news and updates ahead of the Governors’ matches against Southeast Missouri, follow the women’s tennis team  on Twitter (@GovsWTN), Instagram (@GovsTennis) and Facebook (Austin Peay Tennis).

Next Up For APSU Women’s Tennis

The Austin Peay State University women’s tennis team continues their two-match road swing with a Saturday 1:00pm match against Southeast Missouri (13-4, 5-0 OVC) at the Redhawks Tennis Complex in Cape Girardeau, Missouri.

In addition to the match being a rematch of the 2021 OVC Championship –in which the Governors defended their 2019 title, erased a 3-1 deficit and defeated SEMO, 4-3, 2021 to claim their eighth OVC title — it is also a battle for sole possession of first place in the Ohio Valley Conference, as APSU and Southeast Missouri enter the contest as the only unbeaten teams in conference play.