ELON, N.C. – On a blustery Saturday afternoon, the Elon University women's tennis team secured its first home wins of the season at the Jimmy Powell Tennis Center in a doubleheader against Belmont Abbey.
The temperature dipped into the 40s after several days of practice in quasi-spring weather, and junior Madison Cordisco alluded to the weather affecting her play in the first match.
"It was really cold. Our hands were freezing, so we had to get through that, but our coach told us just to keep swinging," Cordisco said. "We were a little tentative, we were up [in doubles] 5-2, and all of a sudden it was 5-4."
Cordisco and her doubles partner, freshman Heidi Bulger, went on to capture the doubles point for the Phoenix, 6-4, for the first of the 14 points Elon earned between the two matches. Their doubles win in the day's second match came more smoothly at 6-1, and in Cordisco's lone singles appearance, she won 6-1, 6-0.
The Phoenix swept the Crusaders 7-0 in each leg of the doubleheader, improving to 5-1 on the season. Four of its five wins have come via sweep, with a 4-3 victory at Liberty to begin the season the lone exception.
Now 2-0 at the JPTC in the young season, Elon will host its next five matches, with UNC Charlotte and Furman set to visit the Phoenix this weekend.
Cordisco said that after several matches on the road, she appreciated being back home.
"It was an amazing feeling. We came out loud as always and we could just feel all the chemistry," Cordisco said. "Being at home is the best feeling ever, and a great win."
The 6-2 UNC Charlotte 49ers will face the Phoenix at 2 p.m. on Feb. 14 at the JPTC.
'Rising Phoenix' is a student-led initiative to cover Elon Athletics. Through innovative content creation and storytelling, Elon University students will have the opportunity to highlight the moments, people and events that make an impact, leveraging the athletic department's various web and social media platforms for distribution. Follow Rising Phoenix on X (@EURisingPhoenix) and Instagram (@elonrisingphoenix). Interested in joining this initiative as a content creator (video, graphics, writing, storytelling, or more)? Contact Chase Strawser at cstrawser@elon.edu.
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