Her team was by her side during the final set. The fans grew silent as she served against her Texas Christian University opponent. Routliffe volleyed back and forth but it ultimately came down to the final game.
As swiftly as she won her first set, Routliffe won her final set, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, and ultimately the match. Routliffe’s win secured No. 7 Alabama’s 6-1 victory over the No. 20 TCU on Saturday.
“TCU is a very good team,” Alabama coach Jenny Mainz said. “They just beat Houston convincingly. They beat Texas A&M. Texas A&M is [No.] 11 in the country; they beat them 4-2. I mean they are a very good team. They compete well; they don’t go away. We knew that today was going to be a real test. I’m very pleased with the way I think we stepped up in big moments.”
Alabama (3-0) kicked off Saturday’s match early in the evening, playing after the men’s match. Shortly after starting the match, Alabama secured the doubles point.
Routliffe and Maya Jansen won the first doubles match, and Danielle Spielmann and Emily Zabor won the second, securing the point. Natalia Maynetto and Luicelena Perez lost their doubles match.
Jansen was the first singles player to win. Jansen swept away her competition 6-2, 6-4. Zabor and Perez also won their matches. Zabor won 6-4, 6-1 and Perez won 6-3, 6-2.
Maynetto was the fourth player to win her match. Maynetto closed out her first set quickly but lagged behind in the second set. Down by two points, Maynetto battled back to send the set into a tiebreaker.
Maynetto kept her composure while trying to take the lead. Seeing her opponent falter, Maynetto took a two-point lead, ultimately winning the match 6-2, 7-6 (7-6) after two sets.
“I was definitely nervous but the first few points were tough,” she said. “I mean, I could win all. And then after that I noticed that, I don’t know if she was nervous or frustrated but I started to take control more of the points. I got that 3-1 lead. I [kept thinking] I just need this point.”
Spielmann lost her match in three sets 6-4, 4-6, 1-6.
Next, the team will travel to Charlottesville, Virginia, on Feb. 6 for the ITA National Championships. This is the third time Alabama will compete in the indoor championships.
