The Waves women’s tennis team tried their abilities against some of the most talented players around the country at the Mission Hills Desert Classic tournament in Rancho Mirage, Calif. from Friday to Sunday.
Freshman Lorraine Guillermo distinguished her performance on the first day of the tournament by advancing in the singles draw and becoming the only student-athlete to win a match.
Guillermo defeated Alison Ramos of USC with a significant advantage in two of three sets (6-3, 4-6, 6-3).
Juniors Arianna Collfer and Tara Panu could not make it through the vigorous attacks of the opponents, failing to win over Lauren Herring of Georgia and Morgan Thomas of UCLA respectively.
The second day of the tournament was no less successful as the first for Guillermo .
Collfer managed to defeat Washington’s Anjela Nemcevic in two sets (7-5, 7-5). Panu and sophomore Megan Moore lost in doubles to Holly Flemming and Morgan Thomas of UCLA.
Guillermo pulverized Samantha Smith of Washington University in the final match of the tournament with the score 6-4, 6-1, becoming the only Wave to stay undefeated at the tournament.
“My match went very well, I did what I could to beat the opponent,” Guillermo said. “I am excited about the victory and I will definitely use the experience I gained to use in future matches. I just plan to practice hard, stay healthy and get ready for the spring season. Here we go Waves!”
In the pre-season tournaments Pepperdine managed to achieve 29 victories in singles and nine wins in doubles, in addition to the significant experience that served as preparation for the actual season.
The Waves will open the spring season facing San Diego State University at home on Wednesday, Jan. 25.
Pepperdine Graphic