TOLEDO, Ohio— Toledo's women's tennis team had just turned in one of the most impressive victories in recent memory when the season was cut short due to the coronavirus pandemic.
"Our last match against Charleston Southern was a huge upset, probably the biggest in school history," head coach Tracy Mauntler said. "I'm so thankful that the new players got to experience a match like that. Contributing to a match of that magnitude is extremely motivating and will keep the players hungry for more."
Toledo was trailing 0-3 when sophomore Eileen Carney, senior Dee Dee Leenabanchong, and freshman Sloane Teske tied it up with singles victories. Junior Patricia Panta then overcame a 6-3 loss in the first set to come back and win the second set 7-6 and the third set 6-3 to complete the big upset victory.
The Rockets ended the 2020 season with a record of 5-7, having also captured victories against Youngstown State, Towson, Saint Francis, and Findlay. Mauntler knew there would be a learning curve entering this season because the team was returning just two starters in Leenabanchong and Carney.
"I knew there would be a lot of learning this year because we only had two returners in our starting lineup," Mauntler said. "What I was impressed by was how quickly the girls improved and learned from the non-conference matches."
Leenabanchong was terrific as Toledo's No. 1 singles player, posting a record of 9-3 playing on the top court. Carney spent the whole year playing on the No. 2 court recording five victories. The duo also teamed up to go 7-5 as the Rockets' No. 1 doubles team all season long.
Individually, Leenabanchong earned MAC Singles Player of the Week honors on Jan. 29 after going 2-0 on the top court against Youngstown State and Marshall, winning both matches in two sets.
Despite the unfortunate end to the season, there is still plenty to look forward to next year when the next batch of Rocket tennis players join the program.
"We have four very talented true freshmen joining us in August," Mauntler said. "This are the strongest recruiting class we've ever had and they fit into our already strong team culture perfectly. I'm excited to blend these new players with the current team and see what we can do next year."
