Vasilyev Survives Marathon Match at Central Alabama

 

Vasilyev Survives Marathon Match at Central Alabama

 

Alexander City—Ksenia Vasilyev had her opponent, Central Alabama's Morgan Bishop, on the ropes.  All Vasilyev had to do was hold her mighty and trustworthy serve and the match was hers.  Up 6-4, 5-2 and serving for the match, Vasilyev collapsed.  On the verge of victory, Vasilyev, usually imperturbable and unflappable, became perturbable and flappable—and beatable.

 

Bishop knotted the match at one set apiece by winning five straight games to close out the second set, 7-5.  She then bolted to a 3-0 lead in the third and final set.

 

Down 0-3 in the third set, Vasilyev found herself in unknown territory.

 

"You see another side of a person when that person is losing a match or has squandered a substantial lead," said Charles Wright, MMI's women's tennis coach, "especially when that person is used to winning, and not only winning but winning handsomely.  You see a vulnerability that was heretofore cloaked.  And then you see what a person is made of when things aren't going her way, when things are operating in a parallel universe from the one that she is used to operating in.  You really can't measure a person until she confronts the abyss."

 

Vasilyev regained her composure and reeled off the next five games to take a 5-3 lead.  Bishop tacked on one more game before Vasilyev closed out the set.  The match that lasted a brutal two and a half hours was finally over.  Vasilyev survived, staying unbeaten (4-0) in Alabama Community College Conference play.

 

The Lady Tigers return home to face the Lady Sun Chiefs of Coastal Alabama Community College-South on Thursday, March 7.  The match is scheduled to start at 1:00 p.m.