VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State women's tennis team blanked visiting Shorter in the Gulf South Conference and season-opener Thursday afternoon at the VSU Tennis Complex, 7-0.
 
VSU got the season off on the right foot with the win as it marked the first season-opening victory for the Blazers since 2020.  The Blazers needed just 29 minutes to win the doubles point Thursday as freshmen newcomers Aneta Poborilova and Natalie Rainke won blanked Laura Martin and Amelie Fryer, 6-0.  VSU clinched the point with a win at the top spot as junior Viktoriia Fedorova and freshman Denisa Hanakova won 6-1 over Sophia Rellano and Erin Coleman.  At the No. 3 spot, junior returnees Olivia Pezo and Kayla Greco won 6-1 for the sweep.
 
With the momentum going into singles, VSU won all six matches in straight-sets, dropping just four games total, along with bagels at Nos. 3, 5 and 6 by Pezo, Greco and Fedorova, respectively.  Rainke gave VSU a 2-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-0, win at the top spot, followed by Poborilova's 6-0, 6-1 win over Coleman at No. 2.  After the win by Fedorova, Greco clinched the match and Hanakova gave the Blazers the sweep at No. 4, 6-1, 6-1, over Sydney Wright.  
 
The win marked the third-straight 7-0 sweep of Shorter and improved VSU to 11-2 in the last 13 meetings against the Hawks.  The Blazers head on the road at top-ranked Barry on Saturday at 9 a.m., followed by a trip to Lynn on Sunday at 10 a.m.
 
Check back with vstateblazers.com for links to live stats and streaming of the matches.