When it all came down to Natalie Villaflor, the junior could only wish she was playing on two good legs instead of one.
With all matches tied in the Emporia State tennis showdown with Washburn and only Villaflor’s third set of singles remaining, ESU’s hopes hung with its No. 2 player.
She ended up battling much more than the cold weather and also WU’s Julie Huyberechts.
“I definitely did cramp up,” Villaflor said.
It turned out to be more than she could overcome, as Villaflor fell 6-1 in the final set to seal No. 30 Washburn’s 5-4 women’s victory on Wednesday.
“That’s what it’s about. You want to be in that position, just like in basketball where you would say, ‘Give me the ball at the end of the game,’ down by two or one,” ESU coach John Cayton said. “That’s the clutch situations we try to practice for and train for. It’s hard to simulate that.”
The ESU men were swept by Washburn, 9-0.
Villaflor — who played while all her ESU teammates cheered her on while sitting on the next court — actually took the first point of the final set before losing the final six.
Her leg cramps were especially visible during one point when trailing 4-1, as she ran to the net to put a ball away but was unable to put any power behind it.
“My legs just buckled,” Villaflor said. “It’s unfortunate.”
ESU still had a chance to help itself more early, as the Lady Hornets dropped two of three doubles matches to the Lady Blues.
Cayton said he was especially disappointed in No. 1 doubles, where his team fell 8-2 to WU’s Diana Goldsmith and Huyberechts.
“We just didn’t play up to par,” Cayton said. “That’s a team that we planned on beating, we thought we could beat, and we didn’t get it done.”
Karly Schultz was the only ESU player to come away with a pair of victories. She teamed with Marcela Bayon to take an 8-3 victory in doubles, then battled for a 7-6 (1), 6-3 win over Audrie Miller in No. 4 singles.
The singles match ended up being a reunion of sorts for Schultz, as both she and Miller played on the same high school team in McPherson.
“I’m real confident with my singles play, so I knew I had the shots needed to win,” Schultz said. “I knew if I had to go to three sets, I could outlast her.”
The two played in front of a large McPherson-based crowd, including ESU basketball player Jordan Fithian.
“It was nice to have friends there,” Schultz said. “I was a little nervous starting out, but I knew I could beat her.”
Lacey Luina (No. 3 singles) and Audrey Sherman (No. 5 singles) picked up the other victories for ESU.
The women (8-2, 3-1 MIAA) will travel to Joplin, Mo., to face Missouri Southern on Friday, while the men (7-4, 0-3 MIAA) will take on UA-Ft. Smith at the same location.
“We’ve just got to find a way to get a little bit better,” Cayton said. “We know we’ve got the talent to win and the experience. Now, it’s just a matter of hunkering down this next three weeks before conference.”
Thursday at Emporia
Women's Results
Washburn 5, Emporia State 4
Singles
1. Diana Goldsmith (WU) def. Marcella Bayon (ESU) 6-2, 6-1.
2. Julie Huyberechts (WU) def. Natalie Villaflor (ESU) 6-7 (3), 6-0, 6-1.
3. Lacey Luina (ESU) def. Amber Raindl (WU) 6-3, 4-6, 6-4.
4. Karly Schultz (ESU) def. Audrie Miller (WU) 7-6 (1), 6-3.
5. Audrey Sherman (ESU) def. Lauren Harris (WU) 6-1, 7-6 (5).
6. Alicia Gardner (WU) def. Molly Bowman (ESU) 6-4, 6-0.
Doubles
1. Goldsmith/Huyberechts (WU) def. Villaflor/Luina (ESU) 8-2.
2. Bayon/Schultz (ESU) def. Raindl/Harris (WU) 8-3.
3. Lisa Coleman/Miller (WU) def. Sherman/Bowman (ESU) 8-5.
Men's Results
Washburn 9, Emporia State 0
Singles
1. Rutger Vliegenberg (WU) def. Julian Rios (ESU) 6-1, 6-4.
2. Drew Hanson (WU) def. Nathan Mai (ESU) 6-1, 2-6, (10-5).
3. Nathan Martin (WU) def. Kevin Schoon (ESU) 6-3, 6-1.
4. Ryan Ward (WU) def. Ross Hougland (ESU) 6-0, 6-3.
5. Brad Johnston (WU) def. Kevin Arnhold (ESU) 6-2, 6-7, (10-6).
6. Andrew Plum (WU) def. Tim Garner (ESU) 6-1, 6-2.
Doubles
1. Vliegenberg/Plum (WU) def. Rios/Mai (ESU) 8-1.
2. Johnston/Martin (WU) def. Schoon/Arnhold (ESU) 8-0.
3. Ward/Hanson (WU) def. Arnhold/Garner (ESU) 8-4.