Box Score Score: VCU 7, Morgan State 0
Location: Richmond, Va. (Thalhimer Tennis Center)
Records: VCU 3-1 (0-0 Atlantic 10), Morgan State 0-3
 
The Short Story: The Rams delivered a strong all-around performance, highlighted by first singles victories from Elicia Kim and Viktoria Lackova.
 
Head Coach Rifa Kahfiani on the Rams' 3-1 start to the spring and momentum moving forward: "Starting 3-1 in our first four matches says a lot about this group. You can really see the team bonding more with each match. Today, we were better than we were in our last match, but we're still not where we want to be, and that's a good thing. It shows there's room to keep growing. Morgan State competed really well. Several singles matches went to three sets, especially on Courts 5 and 6, and none of it came easy. What stood out was the energy we brought as a team. Even after the match was decided, our players continued to bring great energy and encouragement for one another, and that made a big difference in how we finished."
 
Opening Serve
 
Doubles

• The Rams entered the match at 2-1, with their lone loss coming against a strong Northwestern side. Morgan State, meanwhile, came in at 0-2, and the doubles point played out accordingly.
• The match opened on Court 3, where Sara Alba and Viktoria Lackova put together 20 minutes of near-flawless tennis. The duo made quick work of Morgan State's Amira Bargaoui and Angelina Joao, cruising to a 6-0 victory.
• On Court 1, the match was tightly played early, as Andrea Magallanes and Sofia Jane Thorne held a slim 3-2 advantage midway through the set. From there, however, the Rams pulled away, winning the final four games to take the match 6-2 and secure the doubles point for VCU.
• Meanwhile on Court 2, Mariam Ibrahim and Elicia Kim jumped out to a quick 1-0 lead within seconds. The pair continued to apply pressure as the set progressed, extending their advantage to 3-1, then 4-2, and eventually 5-2 before the match, unfortunately for them, was abandoned.

Singles

• In singles action, the Rams opened strong with newcomer Elicia Kim. Making her VCU debut after joining the program in December from Stetson, Kim took control on Court 4 right from the start. Kim cruised through the first set with a 6-0 sweep and maintained control in the second, closing out a 6-2 win to earn her first singles victory as a Ram.
• Finishing just behind Kim on Court 3 was Mariam Ibrahim. In the first set, Ibrahim led 2-1, 3-1, and 4-1 before closing out a dominant 6-1 opening set. The second set appeared to follow the same pattern, with Ibrahim jumping out to a 5-2 lead. Morgan State's Julia Jeffrey responded by winning the next three games to even the score at 5-5. At that point, momentum seemed to swing Morgan State's way, but Ibrahim turned the tables, winning the final two games of the set 7-5 to take the match and bring the Rams within one point of victory.
• On Court 2, Viktoria Lackova fell behind early, trailing 2-3, but responded with a strong finish, winning the final four games of the set to take the first set 6-4. In the second set, Morgan State's Amira Bargaoui lead early 4-1 and later 5-2. Showing the same fight as in the opening set, Lackova battled back to even the score at 5-5 before winning the final two games to close out the set 7-5, taking five straight games to secure the match. This victory marked Lackova's first singles victory of her Rams career.
• Meanwhile, Sofia Jane Thorne was locked in a battle on Court 1. Thorne jumped out to an early 4-0 lead, but momentum began to shift as Morgan State's Michaela Stephens won the next three games to pull within one at 4-3. With long rallies extending the match, the first set finally came to a conclusion after nearly an hour of play, with Thorne edging it out 7-5. The second set remained tight, going back and forth until it was tied at 4-4 and later 5-5. Thorne fought hard, but Stephens closed out the set 7-5 to force a deciding third set. In contrast to the second set, the third-set tiebreak was all Thorne. She jumped ahead 6-1, extended the lead to 9-2, and finished it off 10-2 to clinch the match and put the Rams up 5-0 overall.
• Next on Court 5, Andrea Magallanes battled through another competitive match. The score was tied at 3-3 and again at 6-6 before Magallanes dropped the first set 7-6(4) in a tiebreak to Marta Serra Carles. Just when Morgan State thought they might leave Richmond with a point, Magallanes answered with a dominant second set, feeding off the energy and support of her teammates to take it 6-1. Carrying that momentum into the 10-point match tiebreak, Magallanes jumped out to an early 5-1 lead. Serra Carles closed the gap to 8-6, but Magallanes showed great composure down the stretch, finishing the tiebreak 10-8 to clinch the match.
• Lastly on Court 6, with both teams cheering on their teammates, Sara Alba found the score tied at 3-3. The score would then be tied again at 5-5 before Morgan State's Lauryn Hall edged out the first set. The second set followed a similar pattern, but just when it appeared Hall might secure the point, Alba finished strong to take the set 6-3. In the final action of the night, the 10-point match tiebreak was tight early when Alba went on a decisive run to pull ahead 9-5 and close it out 10-6.

Singles results
1. Sofia Jane Thorne (VCU) def. Michaela Stephens (MOR) 5-7, 7-5, [10-2]
2. Viktoria Lackova (VCU) def. Amira Bargaoui (MOR) 6-4, 7-5
3. Mariam Ibrahim (VCU) def. Julia Jeffrey (MOR) 6-1, 7-5
4. Elicia Kim (VCU) def. Damla Arslan (MOR) 6-0, 6-2
5. Andrea Magallanes (VCU) def. Marta Serra Carles (MOR) 6-7(4), 6-1, [10-6]
6. Sara Alba (VCU) def. Lauryn Hall (MOR) 5-7, 6-3, [10-6]
 
 Doubles results
1. Andrea Magallanes / Sofia Jane Thorne (VCU) def. Lauryn Hall / Marta Serra Charles (MOR) 6-2
2. Mariam Ibrahim / Elicia Kim (VCU) vs. Damla Arslan / Tyler Williams (MOR) 5-2 (unfinished)
3. Sara Alba / Viktoria Lackova (VCU) def. Amira Bargaoui / Angelina Joao (MOR) 6-0
 
Order of Finish: Doubles: 3, 1     Singles: 4, 3, 2, 1, 5, 6
 
Up Next: VCU will be back in action on Sunday, January 8, as they travel to West Virginia to face Marshall at 11 a.m.