The answer to both questions is yes.

And now, one more question about Catawba’s women’s tennis team tennis team:

What has happened in such a short time?

Everyone wanted to know after the Indians upset the national playoff-bound Bulldogs 5-2 Wednesday morning in the first round of the annual South Atlantic Conference Spring Sports Festival, held at the school.

Jack Thompson’s squad became the only Catawba team to win its first outing in the festival. Baseball, softball and men’s tennis all fell, while Catawba’s women’s golf team trails in its tournament. (See page 3B).

“Itold the girls that Wingate knew it was going to the regionals win or lose, so they may be a little down,” said Thompson. “I knew if we jumped on them quick, we could win this match.”

Which is exactly what the 13-10 Indians did. Gina Ayala, the No. 1 player, coming off a wrist injury which has plagued her for half the season, won 6-4, 6-4 and set the tone for the rest of the team. Taryn Gordon won by that score at No. 4, as did Ashlee Cooke at No. 5.

Ayala, Gordon and Cooke are all freshmen.

“Ayala played a real tough match,” said Thompson, who took over for Scotty Mitchell this season and also finds time to coach the men’s team. “She’s had tendinitis in her right hand and it has bothered her.”

But not yesterday.

“Ijust tried a new racket two days ago,” said Ayala, from Coral Springs, Fla. “It is helping out a little bit. It’s not as stiff.”

Ayala missed two weeks due to the tendinitis and doctors said simply to rest it. Which Ayala didn’t want to do, considering she is a key ingredient to this turnaround.

“I had heard the record wasn’t very good last year,” she said. “But now, it’s a fresh team with new players and it has been great. Coach has been great too.”

Catawba took advantage early Wednesday by winning two of the three doubles matches.

Carson and Liz Taylor won at No. 2, 8-3, while Cooke and Karen Malinowski won by the same score at No. 3.

Cooke and Malinowski form one of the SAC’s best doubles teams. They stand 13-5 after yesterday.”

Taylor, a former Salisbury High star, attended Clemson University but transferred to Catawba this year and has stepped right in at No. 3. She lost Wednesday, however, 6-2, 6-4, only her fourth loss in 11 matches.

Carson, at No. 2, and Meredith Davine at No. 6, didn’t have to finish their matches because the verdict had been decided. But Thompson is expecting another fiery effort this afternoon. Catawba was scheduled to play top-seed Presbyterian at 2:30 p.m. at City Park.

“We have nothing to lose and everything to gain,” Thompson told Ayala after Wednesday’s win.

Losing has not been in Catawba’s vocabulary recently. The win over Wingate was the sixth in the last seven matches.

“We know that without injuries, we could’ve won a lot more,” Thompson said.

By the way, Catawba lost to Presbyterian in their first meeting, 9-0.

“We’re definitely the underdogs,” Thompson smiled. “But sometimes, that’s good. “Our confidence is running tremendously high. We’re peaking at the right time.”

Win or lose against Presbyterian, Thompson, the pro at Salisbury Country Club, has the program going in the right direction.

“The future is bright,” he smiled. “I think the coaches in the conference were amazed at our improvement. The attitudes are much better.”

Ayala agreed.

“We’re a young, young team,” she said. “It’s going to be great the next three years. It’s the same people. We’re not going to change.”

Except for the better.

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