The Tribune

By BRENT STUBBS

Senior Sports Reporter

bstubbs@tribunemedia.net

SYDNEY Clarke and her University of Arlington Blazers at Birmingham suffered their second straight match loss, dropping a 5-2 decision to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on Friday at the Ken Byers Tennis Complex in Atlanta.

The Yellow Jackets swept through the doubles winning all three courts, but the Blazers got two wins from Clarke and Annalisa Smith in singles to avoid another shutout.

“My team’s performance was good. We’re still figuring out the best matches, best pairings for doubles and then getting everyone on one accord to stick with the strategies that we practice,” Clarke told The Tribune after the tournament.

“We just have to believe in ourselves mainly and be confident in the strategies that we set ahead of time instead of wondering away from it, or not being confident in the match to use it. Once we get more confident and a little more aggressive, we should get better results in doubles.”

Clarke, the former top junior female player at age 19, won 7-6, 6-4 over Monika Dedaj after Smith pulled off their only other win 6-1, 7-5 over Sophia Sassoli.

“It was good for me to win my second match. My first match I played against the University of Alabama was a great experience for me because I took that and when I fell down, I didn’t do it this time,” Clarke said.

“I was in the same position against a tough opponent. The games were all close and I had to come from behind. But this time, I was mentally tough and I didn’t fall down in the pressure points. If I made a mistake, I moved on quickly and tried to win the next point.”

With an improvement in her forehand, Clarke said she was able to dominate more at the net as she was more aggressive with her feet.

As for the Blazers, as a team, Clarke said they just have to be able to close out their matches more by coming to the net and not sitting back. “Most teams are bigger and stronger than us, so we have to be quicker and faster to come to the net and put vollies away, instead of being overpowered by their shots,” she said. “So as a team, I think we need to get better at volleying and take better shot selections. If we can do that, we can be in a better position as the season progresses.”

The Blazers are scheduled to be back on the court Tuesday when they are expected to host ULM at George Ward Park.

“Considering that we lost two straight, I’m just focusing on making the next match better than the last one,” Clarke said. “Whether we win or lose, I just want to put in 100 percent and make sure that my performance is much better than average. “I just want to push myself that whatever I practice, I can put it into the game and I’m able to adapt to whatever situation I’m in. I just want to go out there and play and give it a good fight.”

Whatever happens, Clarke said she wants to leave it all on the court, knowing that she would have given 100 percent in her effort.