At the Western Athletic Conference Tennis Invitational in St. George, Utah, senior leaders Masha Vrsalovic, from Cochabamba, Bolivia, and Alice Klinteby, from Falkenberg, Sweden, showed up big, paving the way to runner-up finishes in both singles and doubles. The performance capped off a promising fall campaign while looking ahead to the regular spring season.
Vrsalovic reached the title singles match riding a wave of dominant wins through the tournament, ending in a gritty semifinal victory before falling to Tarleton State’s Maria Castano.
“The first match was definitely really complicated,” Vrsalovic said. “I played a girl that only made balls, just tried to make me miss. Thankfully, the court wasn’t as fast, so I got the chance to hit and attack more.”
Vrsalovic said her confidence grew match by match, and the adversity only made her more confident going into the spring.
Vrsalovic and Klinteby then partnered in doubles, advancing to the title match before losing in a close tiebreaker to Tarleton’s Castano and Ishii.
“I think we did really good, helping each other out during the tournament,” Klinteby said. “We had a really good connection, so that helped us a lot.”
Both seniors entering this year, Klinteby reflected on this last season with appreciation and optimism.
“Of course, we wanted to win, but I felt like we did some really good things,” she said. “We have one more season to go, and in spring, that’s where it really counts. The goal for me is to really enjoy it, to acknowledge that I have an incredible opportunity to even be here and play.”
Head Coach Bryan Rainwater praised his seniors for making it happen.
“I thought it was a good tournament,” Rainwater said. “We played really well. Getting to the finals was a huge goal for us, especially after last year when we lost first round on both sides. I think we really improved.”
With a strong fall behind them, Rainwater said the goal for the Wildcats will be to use the offseason to focus on conditioning and personal development.
“When I go home, I’m going to be practicing a lot, trying to get a lot of matches in to really be ready for the spring season,” Klinteby said. “But I’m really excited because we have a really hardworking team, and everyone wants to really go get it this spring semester, especially since this is our last one.”
The spring season is set to begin following winter break on Jan. 16 at SMU.
