Molly Bowman has a confession to make.
Even though it sometimes doesn’t help her game, she really likes to pound the tennis ball.
“I’m a hard hitter. I love a lot of pace on the ball,” the Emporia State senior said. “I like to go for shots, which isn’t always a good thing.”
It’s easy to see, then, why Bowman was so happy with her performance in a 6-3, 6-2 singles victory over Missouri Southern’s Brittany Kockler on Wednesday.
To win, Bowman wasn’t simply blowing it by her opponent.
“I was just playing very consistently and not trying to overpower the ball,” Bowman said. “That seemed to work very well.”
Bowman’s win at No. 4 singles clinched ESU’s fourth straight team victory, as the Lady Hornets went on to defeat the Lions, 7-2.
ESU took two of three doubles matches before going 5-1 in singles play.
“I thought we started off really well in doubles,” ESU coach John Cayton said, “and that’s something we’ve been stressing all week.”
ESU’s only doubles defeat came from Bowman and partner Kirsten Ford, who lost a 9-8 tiebreaker decision to the No. 2 team of Kockler and Kati Anderson.
Instead of getting upset, Bowman got even.
The senior dominated her singles match to pick up her second straight singles win.
“That definitely is a great confidence-booster,” Bowman said. “I can get really down on myself sometimes, but I really stuck it out.”
Cayton said he’d seen a different player in Bowman after her match last weekend against Colorado Christian in Hays.
Though the senior had been struggling, she was able to pick up an easy 6-0, 6-0 win over Ashley Sonnenberg on Saturday.
“That gave her a lot of confidence,” Cayton said, “and I think that carried over into today.”
Another highlight for ESU was the continued consistent play of Natalie Villaflor.
The senior took a convincing 6-2, 6-0 victory over Anderson in No. 2 singles.
“She came out hitting really hard balls,” Villaflor said, “and I was able to just be patient and hit to her backhand and also use my backhand as a weapon.”
With the win, Villaflor improved her spring record to a perfect 9-0.
“She’s just a leader all the way,” Cayton said. “You can always count on her to be consistent and play well. Even the few matches that she’s lost in her career, you can always count on a quality performance from her.
“That’s ultimately what you want to have as a coach.”
Villaflor also teamed with Marcela Bayon to take an 8-3 victory in No. 1 doubles.
The Lady Hornets added singles wins from No. 3 Amanda Morris, No. 5 Audrey Sherman and No. 6 Ford. Morris and Sherman had the other victory, combining to take an 8-1 triumph in No. 3 doubles.
ESU (9-1), which is ranked 26th nationally, will take on No. 39 Southwest Baptist at noon Friday on the EHS tennis courts. The ESU men will compete at the same time against No. 23 SBU.
Wednesday at Milton Courts
Emporia State 7, Missouri Southern 2
Singles
1. Michelle Hall (MSSU) def. Marcela Bayon (ESU), 6-2, 6-2
2. Natalie Villaflor (ESU) def. Kati Anderson (MSSU), 6-2, 6-0
3. Amanda Morris (ESU) def. Ashton Lawrence (MSSU), 6-2, 6-1
4. Molly Bowman (ESU) def. Brittany Kockler (MSSU), 6-3, 6-2
5. Audrey Sherman (ESU) def. Lauren Skimbo (MSSU), 6-1, 6-1
6. Kirsten Ford (ESU) def. Janelle Quesenberry (MSSU), 7-5, 1-6, 7-6 (11-9)
Doubles
1. Bayon/Villaflor (ESU) def. Lawrence/Hall (MSSU), 8-3
2. Kockler/Anderson (MSSU) def. Bowman/Ford (ESU), 9-8
3. Sherman/Morris (ESU) def. Skimbo/Quesenberry (MSSU), 8-1
Records — Missouri Southern 6-5, 1-1 MIAA; Emporia State 9-1, 2-1 MIAA.