DOUBLE TROUBLE

JMU women’s tennis riding off their seniors’ success, but two ranked opponents loom

By CRAIG MATHIAS

The Breeze

As things stand, JMU women’s tennis is 7-0 in the Sun Belt Conference. Not only is it unbeaten in conference play this season but the Dukes haven’t lost a conference match since March 7, 2020.

Coming off a five-match win streak and winning eight of its last 10 matches, JMU runs the gauntlet this weekend — hosting No. 41 Charlotte on Thursday at 9 a.m. and then traveling to face No. 28 Old Dominion on Saturday at 1 p.m. The Dukes and Monarchs will square off as the only two undefeated teams left in the Sun Belt.

Strong opponents and unlucky breaks plagued the Dukes as they started 4-4, with two of those losses at the hands of current No. 9 U.Va. and at-time No. 43 Penn State. After the 4-1 loss to the Nittany Lions on Feb. 26 — the match was closer than the score indicated; the lone point in the loss came from doubles where the Dukes took two out of three courts — JMU began to find its footing.

Getting the doubles point — something JMU’s done in 12 of 16 matches this spring — is what head coach Shelley Jaudon attributed to its success this season, she said.

“I think a huge thing that has benefited our team and what we’re really thriving in is doubles,” Jaudon said, “because you see good leadership from each of our seniors.”

The three redshirt seniors — Daria Afanasyeva, Kylie Moulin and Daniela Voloh — all play alongside an underclassman or transfer. Jaudon and the team used the fall tournaments to figure out which pairings worked best, and it’s now reaping the rewards.

Jaudon said the three have been valuable for what they bring both on and off the court. Not only do Moulin, Afanasyeva and Voloh play No. 1, 2 and 3 singles, respectively, their leadership has allowed the team to grow over the past couple months.

“Their experience is so valuable and that’s what’s helping lead our younger ones,” Jaudon said. “They’re confident in these situations, they’re comfortable in the high stress environment because of the experience they have in the big matches.”

Afanasyeva, one of those three leaders, boasts a 10-5 record in doubles with her partner — freshman Reka Matko — and has won her last four matches at No. 2 singles. Earlier this season, Afanasyeva earned Sun Belt Conference Player of the Week for her wins in singles and doubles against Louisville on Feb. 5.

As the Dukes gear up for Charlotte and Old Dominion this weekend, Afanasyeva said the team is in the right mindset to keep things rolling into the rest of April.

“I think we’re in a good place mentally,” Afanasyeva said. “Obviously our game is there. Every single person on this team works towards helping each other and making each other better.”

Looking at the season as a whole, JMU’s body of work over the past two seasons has given it a slew of tough matchups. In 2022, the Dukes faced seven ranked opponents. After this weekend, the 2023 tally will reach four.

For Moulin, she said the strength of schedule for both the upper and underclassmen over the past two seasons has prepared them for what to expect in not just JMU’s new conference but whatever may be thrown their way.

“I think all of the preparation we made has gotten us ready for the Sun Belt,” Moulin said, “and to face all these new challenges and bigger teams that we’ve been playing.”

Moulin has been steady for the Dukes at No. 1 singles after jumping from No. 2 last season. She’s 11-5 this spring while racking up wins in seven of her last eight matches.

On top of what would be two huge victories, Jaudon said she’s looking for JMU to show its preparation has paid off in hopes of finishing the year strong. The improvement from the beginning of the season to now is apparent, she said, and she hopes this weekend will kickstart a run to the end of the year.

“We have grown a lot since January,” Jaudon said. “And I think our poise and maturity has grown because of the tough lessons learned early on, and now in March and April we see ourselves thriving in the situations we struggled in.”

CONTACT Craig Mathias at mathiack@ dukes.jmu.edu. For more women’s tennis coverage, follow the sports desk on Twitter @TheBreezeSports.

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