Eastern’s women’s tennis team started its spring season with a 4-1 record, setting the tone by winning three out of four doubles points over the weekend.

The team started the season with a win over Alcorn State and then a win over LSU Alexandria. The women’s tennis team then ended the night losing 4-1 to Jackson State.

In the opening match Friday, the Panthers started out with a 1-0 lead after getting the doubles point. Rachel Papavasilopoulos and Christine Gouws won their doubles match, and Brittany Steven and Karla Contreras secured the doubles point with a win as well.

Esa Kavtaradez won in straight sets at No. 3 singles winning 6-1, 6-0. Lauren Ellis continued the winning by getting a point at No. 4 singles, winning 6-1, 6-0 like Kavtaradez.

Steven then ended the match by winning the last point at No. 6 due to her opponent forfeiting.

In the second match of the day, the women’s tennis team won 4-2 against LSU Alexandria.

Eastern started the match off strong by winning the doubles point.

Papavasilopoulos and Elizaveta Bukraba-Ulanova won their doubles match, 6-1. Steven and Contreras continued to shut out their opponents, winning their doubles match 6-0 to secure the doubles point for Eastern again.

Papavasilopoulos then won her singles match, 6-1, 6-1 at the No. 1 singles. Bukraba-Ulanova won at the No. 2 singles, 6-4, 6-1, and Steven ended the match with a three-set win at No. 3 singles, 6-1, 2-6, 6-4.

The women’s tennis team lost the final match of the night against Jackson State by a score of 4-1. Papavasilopoulos scored the only point for the team at the No. 1 singles with a 6-1, 6-0 victory.

After having Saturday off, the Panthers started the day Sunday with a 6-1 win at Grambling State. The team won all three doubles matches to open with the first point.

Papavasilopoulos won at No.1 singles with a 6-1, 6-1 win, and Bukraba-Ulanova followed with a win by the same 6-1, 6-1 score at No. 2 singles. Contreras, Steven and Shaianne Looney ended the match for the Panthers with wins at the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 6 singles. Contreras won 6-3, 6-2, Looney won 6-2, 7-5 and Steven won 6-2, 6-1.

The Panthers then beat Mississippi Valley State 4-0, but in a different format. The singles portion of the competition came first, rather than the doubles matches, and Eastern won the match in just the singles part of the match.

Gouws started the match winning 6-0, 6-0 at No.1 singles.

Ellis and Kaitlyn Snyder kept the streak going by each winning 6-0, 6-0 at the No. 3 and No. 4 singles, respectively. Kavtaradez ended the night with a win at No. 2 singles with a 6-1, 6-0 victory.

The Panthers’ next match will be Friday, as the Panthers hit the road to face off against Illinois State.

Bailey Scoggins can be reached at 581-2812 or bsscoggins@eiu.edu.