While most Clemson students were packing up their bags or even soaking up the sun as their spring break began, the Clemson women’s tennis team had a business trip of their own.
To Destin? No. California? No. Punta Cana? Maybe next year. Instead, the ladies took a short drive to Duckworth Tennis Facility in Clemson.
At the time, No. 46-ranked Clemson squared off against No. 25 Syracuse in a big-time ACC showdown. The in-conference victory moved the Tigers’ ranking up to No. 32, according to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Coming off a five-match losing streak against difficult ACC competition, the Tigers had a fire lit under them against the Orange, and they certainly showed it.
After taking the opening doubles point, Clemson dominated the rest of the way. They defeated the Orange 6-1, and junior Daniella Medvedeva was a massive contribution. Medvedeva was one of the six Tigers who took singles points, and she has been a force for Clemson throughout this season.
The Kaliningrad, Russia, native is nationally ranked No. 85 in the latest ITA individual polls, as her individual and doubles play alike have led to Clemson tennis’ breakthrough this year.
After defeating the Orange, Medvedeva had many positives to say about the season as a whole. Although she holds an impressive individual record of 17-3, she was quick to turn the attention away from her and onto first-year head coach Amy Sargeant.
“(Sargeant) is amazing…we all trust her a lot,” Medvedeva said. “I feel like our practices are so intense and so electric. She brings so much energy to us.”
Since taking over in November, Sergeant has led to Tigers to a 15-8 (3-7 ACC) record, as they have shown that they belong in one of the most competitive conferences in the nation. Twelve of the top 40 teams in the NCAA are in the ACC, three of which are top-10 matchups the Tigers have already faced.
With three regular-season matches still remaining, Clemson has already accumulated more wins than the last seven seasons’ individual totals. This year’s record is also the team’s best since 2015.
“No matter the outcome, all (Sargeant) cares about is us fighting, doing our best and growing every match,” Medvedeva added.
Since falling to North Carolina in March, Clemson is 4-2 as the team looks to finish the year strong. Medvedeva and the Tigers now have their eyes set on another ACC battle against No. 22 Georgia Tech at Duckworth Tennis Facility on Saturday, April 8.
To watch the full one-on-one interview between Medvedeva and reporter Patrick Driscoll, check out his YouTube channel @patrickdriscoll.
