ETTRICK, VA – The Virginia State women's tennis team is set to open their 2022 slate against Virginia Union on the road in Richmond, Virginia. The match is set for 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 5.
The Trojans opened their season back in October against West Virginia State in which they lost 1-7. Eboni Goring was the lone winner of the day as she snagged the victory in the tiebreak set, 10-4. In the 2019-2020 season, Virginia State only saw four matches (1-3) prior to the season being canceled due to the global pandemic. Prior to the 2020 season, Virginia State finished 10-7 overall and 7-3 in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) Conference. That season, the Trojans earned a spot in the CIAA women's tennis tournament as the no. 3 seed before falling to Elizabeth City State, 4-1 in the semifinals. Under the leadership of head coach Donald Raspberry, the Trojans ended the regular season with a 9-6 overall record, 9-5 in the conference and 6-0 in the Northern Division.
The Trojans have a team full of freshman as well as three multi-sports athletes on the squad. Ashleigh Charles out of Wellington, Florida, Ginger Johnson out of Hyattsville, Maryland and Zamaris Smith out of Norfolk, Virginia will take the court this weekend. Natalia Leaks out of Miramar, Florida will be joining the tennis team after leading the women's basketball team in scoring averaging 15.3 points per game. Jayce Gaither out of Durham, NC was a part of the "Trojan Fire" dance team prior to joining the team. Charnae Merrell is one of the first four-sport athletes in recent history as she was a part of the women's bowling team, women's outdoor track & field team, women's basketball team and now the women's tennis team.
Virginia Union only competed in two matches during the 2020 season and did not see action in 2021. The Panthers were 1-1 in 2020, including a 4-3 win over the Trojans in their last outing. The victory was the first time the Panthers beat the Trojans, as VSU is 22-1 against VUU. In 2019, VUU went 3-10 overall and 3-7 in the league.
