The Tulane women’s tennis team opened its 2015 season this weekend as it competed in the UCF Quad Tournament in Orlando. The Green Wave posted a combined 17-6 record in singles, with freshman Elena Muller, senior Jacqui Katz, and sophomore Sade Atkinson all securing perfect 3-0 weekends in singles.

Senior Ipek Birol and junior Kyla Klier each finished the weekend with 2-1 winning records in the singles column as well.

On Sunday, the Green Wave notched victories in four of its six single matches against UCF, and won another two matches against Mercer.

“I honestly didn’t expect this level of grit from my young team but they stepped up against seasoned teams,” head coach Terri Sisk said. “I’m really quite proud of the team for many reasons, but the one that stuck out the most was the level of discipline we exhibited when the nerves were flying high while under pressure.”

All three of the Wave’s doubles teams went 2-1 at the UCF Tennis Complex.

Tulane’s Muller and Katz defeated Michelle Valdez and Hannah Fluhrer of UNF 6-2, while freshman Sofia Kurtz and sophomore Naz Karagoz picked up a 6-3 win against UNF’s Mariella Calderon and Luise Intert.  

Klier and sophomore Zoe Gaber, as well as Birol and Atkinson, lost their doubles matches 6-3 to Mercer and 7-5 to UNF, respectively.

For a team with a significant number of young players, this weekend’s results are an inspiring start to the season. Sisk is hopeful that the remainder of the season will see similar discipline, yielding even better results.

“With such a strong performance in our very first tournament of the year, they have truly set the bar high for the season ahead,” Sisk said.

The Green Wave looks to continue its strong start to the season beginning on Oct. 2 in the three-day Arizona Tournament.