Having never finished a season with a winning record, early tennis success is unfamiliar to the West Virginia Mountaineers.
With seven returning players and just two newcomers, WVU, who finished 11-12 overall last season, seems to be exhibiting simple natural progression. All but two Mountaineers are juniors or higher, so hitting a new stride now makes sense.
However, the current 7-1 record may just be due to decreased competition. West Virginia did open last season 4-2, only really struggling in their nine Big 12 matches, which they lost eight of, but the team has already beat opponents who were its demise in the past, including the mighty Virginia Tech, whom the Mountaineers had not defeated since 1992.
One brand new factor that has made all the difference, though, has been the team’s only freshman, Maya Bordereau from Annecy, France.
In the team match system of collegiate tennis, saying one player can make the distinction between a winning program and a losing one is a bit of an exaggeration, but Bordereau’s impact has been real and immediate for WVU.
On her first day of collegiate match play, Bordereau earned two match victories as the fourth seed against Duquesne and Morgan State. The following weekend, she remained undefeated in singles, defeating players from Marshall and Virginia Tech.
Since her early success, Bordereau has steadily earned the trust of coach Miha Lisac, who has progressed her to higher courts each week. Without Camilla Bossi last weekend, Bordereau played as the second seed against Cleveland State and Radford, and she even earned a win against Radford’s Michaela Stephens.
As a freshman, Bordereau has played three juniors and a senior, winning all four matches. Her limited professional experience gives Bordereau an edge that most freshmen may not possess in terms of playing older, more experienced athletes.
In total, Bordereau is 6-2 in singles and won matches at Marshall and Virginia Tech, whom WVU only managed to defeat by one match point.
Bordereau also provides what may be WVU’s most reliable key asset, in doubles. With fellow underclassman, redshirt sophomore Maja Dodik, Bordereau has not lost a doubles match this year.
The young duo has only played together this season and the results are definitively the best of any pairing on the team, as they have won seven matches and left one unfinished due to other courts completing their game faster.
Four of Dodik and Bordereau’s seven victories finished with scores of 6-1. Two of those came this past weekend when the team moved from the third position to the second seed in doubles.
Dodik and Bordereau’s success may be a preview of what is to come with WVU Tennis for the foreseeable future. Regardless of what that future holds, though, with Bordereau leading the way, the Mountaineers can compete and will look to continue to improve in the Big 12 starting this season.
Photo from WVU Women’s Tennis
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