Women’s Tennis serves a sweep to the Vaqueros

Sophie de Muelenaere (left), team captain for Santa Monica College Women’s Tennis team, the Corsairs, supports her teammate, Sydney Belanger(right), who returns a ball during their No.2 doubles against Glendale Community College Vaqueros on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at Ocean View Park in Santa Monica, Calif., before winning their match 9-7. The match was declared a victory for the Corsairs with a final score of 5-1 after the remaining matches were called off early due to rain, resulting in safety concerns. (Silke Eichholz | The Corsair)

A Vaqueros of Glendale Community College tennis team (left) waits for a volley by Anaya Ayanbadejo (right), team captain for the Santa Monica College Women’s Tennis team, the Corsairs, during the No.1 doubles on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at Ocean View Park in Santa Monica, Calif. Ayanbadejo and teammate, Yesugen Ganbaatar, win their doubles 8-1. The match was declared a victory for the Corsairs with a final score of 5-1 after the remaining matches were called off early due to rain, resulting in safety concerns. (Silke Eichholz | The Corsair)

Chandler Nelson, a player for the Corsairs, the Santa Monica College Women’s Tennis team, serves during her No.5 single against Glendale Community College Vaquero Sofiya Rusina on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at Ocean View Park in Santa Monica, Calif. Chandler Nelson won the match in two sets 6-0, and 6-1, leading the Corsairs to a 5-1 victory. The remaining matches were called off early due to rain, resulting in safety concerns. (Silke Eichholz | The Corsair)

Yesugen Ganbaatar (left), a tennis player for the Santa Monica College (SMC) Women’s Corsairs, has her ankles taped by Anne Ozello (right), SMC Athletics trainer, before her No.1 doubles match with teammate, Corsair Anaya Ayanbadejo, against the Glendale Community College Vaqueros on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at Ocean View Park in Santa Monica, Calif. The Corsairs won their doubles 8-1. The match was declared a victory for the Corsairs with a final score of 5-1 after the remaining matches were called off early due to rain, resulting in safety concerns. (Silke Eichholz | The Corsair)(Silke Eichholz | The Corsair)

Santa Monica College Women’s Tennis Corsairs cheer before their match against the Glendale Community College Vaqueros on Thursday, March 6, 2025, at Ocean View Park in Santa Monica, Calif. The match was declared a victory for the Corsairs with a final score of 5-1 after the remaining matches were called off early due to rain, resulting in safety concerns. (Silke Eichholz | The Corsair)

Richard Goldenson, the Head Coach for the Santa Monica College Women’s tennis team, writes down the score during their match against Glendale Community College Vaqueros at Ocean View Park in Santa Monica, Calif., on Thursday, March 6, 2025. The match was declared a victory for the Corsairs with a final score of 5-1 after the match was called off early due to rain, resulting in safety concerns.(Silke Eichholz | The Corsair)

On Thursday, March 6, the Santa Monica College (SMC) Corsairs (4-5) defeated the Glendale Community College (GCC) Vaqueros (0-12), 5-1 at Ocean Park View tennis courts.  The Corsairs went on to sweep the Vaqueros in all double sets, with Corsairs’ Sophie de Muelenaere and Sydney Belanger scoring 9 to the Vaqueros’ Yeva Sirakanyan and Angela Lee with a set score of 7. 

The set score of Corsairs’ Mara LaForte and Chandler Nelson versus Vaqueros’ Sofiya Rusina and Melanie Canuto was 8-1. The score for Corsairs’ Anaya Ayanbadejo and Yesugen Ganbaatar against Vaqueros’ Gabriela Marquez and Michaela Marquez was also 8-1.

Rain began to fall as doubles finished and continued throughout single sets, which led to an early finish due to safety concerns.

Nelson triumphed over Rusina in single sets, winning 6-0 in the first round and 6-1 in the second. Ayanbadejo scored similarly against Michaela Marquez, triumphing 6-1 in the first set and closing 6-0. Belanger scored a 6-4 in the first set against Gabriela Marquez and 1-0 in the last set. 

Only one set was played between Muelenaere and Lee and between Hutchison and Canuto, as the weather cut the game short. Muelenaere won 6-2 and Hutchison scored 2-6 against Canuto.

Although rain could be to blame for the lack of fans at Thursday’s match, players said that games don’t pull many spectators, ranking fifth in the Western State Conference-South. Neither practices nor tennis matches are held on SMC’s main campus, with their home games taking place at the Ocean View Park tennis courts. 

“Going so far from school to get to the courts is tough sometimes,” Nelson said. “I would like more people to come.”

Courts are in the process of being added to SMC’s airport campus, according to Corsair Coach Richard Goldenson. “We’ll have our own home base. A little bit more of a campus feel, which will be nice,” he said. 

The Corsairs play their next game at home on March 11 against the Los Angeles Mission College Eagles at 1 p.m.