Marcela Bayon’s dream is to have one match — one full match — where she plays consistently the whole way through.
Though it didn’t happen Wednesday, the Emporia State senior was able to battle past her own demons to take a 6-4, 6-3 victory in her No. 1 singles match for the Lady Hornets.
It was all part of a good day for the ESU women, who took a 7-2 victory over Missouri Western at the Milton Courts.
Bayon looked to be on a roll before falling behind in the second set, 3-2.
“I just need to be confident the whole match,” Bayon said. “I’m always playing ups and downs and things like that.”
The senior was able to regain her composure quickly, reeling off the final four games to complete her straight-set victory.
“That’s the thing with Marcela. She can go three sets with the best player in the nation, and she can maybe go three sets with someone who’s below her,” ESU coach John Cayton said. “She’d agree with that.”
“... It’s a concentration thing. It’s a mental thing. It’s a mind-body connection there. We’re still working on that. That just goes to show you that even as a senior, you’re still working on stuff.”
Bayon’s down-to-the-wire victory was a rarity on Wednesday, as most of ESU’s wins came easily.
Cayton was especially pleased with No. 2 singles player Natalie Villaflor, No. 3 player Amanda Morris and No. 5 player Audrey Sherman. Villaflor took a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Laura Rutten, while Morris and Sherman made quicker work of their opponents, as both won 6-0, 6-0.
“Those three have shown pretty good concentration and focus so far this season,” Cayton said, “so I’m really happy with that.”
It was another solid outing for Morris, who has been impressive after stepping into the No. 3 position.
The freshman was never challenged in her shutout win over Western’s Dominique Leone.
“She had really good strokes, but I figured out pretty fast that if I just stayed consistent, she would make the mistakes,” Morris said. “I felt a lot better today than I have so far this year.”
Morris improved her spring record to 6-0.
“She’s adjusted well and made the transition from high school matches to college matches,” Cayton said. “I think singles-wise, she’s right there with everyone she’s going to play in the conference this year.”
No. 6 player Stacia Whittecar picked up the other ESU singles victory, taking a 7-5, 7-6 (6) decision over Lindsey Frisbie.
ESU’s two other wins came in doubles: Bayon and Villaflor combined to win No. 1s, 8-1, and Morris and Sherman teamed at No. 3 to take an 8-1 triumph.
The ESU women will face both Nebraska-Kearney and Colorado Christian on Saturday in Hays.
Wednesday at Milton Courts
ESU 7, Missouri Western 2
Doubles
No. 1 — Marcela Bayon/Natalie Villaflor (ESU) def. Kristy Pechous/Laura Rutten, 8-1.
No. 2 — Dominique Leone/Shelby Penno (MWSU) def. Molly Bowman/Stacia Whittecar, 8-5.
No. 3 — Amanda Morris/Audrey Sherman (ESU) def. Amber Adams/Lindsey Frisbie, 8-1.
Singles
No. 1 — Bayon (ESU) def. Pechous, 6-4, 6-3.
No. 2 — Villaflor (ESU) def. Rutten, 6-0, 6-1.
No. 3 — Morris (ESU) def. Leone, 6-0, 6-0.
No. 4 — Penno (MWSU) def. Bowman, 6-3, 6-1.
No. 5 — Sherman (ESU) def. Adams, 6-0, 6-0.
No. 6 — Whittecar (ESU) def. Frisbie, 7-5, 7-6 (6).