By Justin Sweitzer
Both of KU’s tennis teams found victory at the Keystone Courts as March neared its end. The Lady Bears defeated the Shippensburg Raiders by a score of 7-2 on March 29 and the men’s squad defeated Bloomfield College in their final home match of the season at KU on March 30.
The women’s win against the Raiders would signify their first Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference Eastern Division win this season after losing their first PSAC matchup against West Chester three days prior.
It was also the first win of the season for the Golden Bears as they had lost their previous eight matches before the win against Shippensburg.
KU was unstoppable in singles competition against Shippensburg. Alyssa Konas, Jessica Burns, Yasmeen Malik, Kara Urland, Vivki Norman and Jessica Caples all won their singles bouts.
Shippensburg was able to win two doubles matches for their only two victories. KU won the second flight. The victory was courtesy of KU’s Jessica Burns and Shadimon Navarro, who defeated the Raiders 8-4.
The men’s win against Bloomfield the following day also ended the possibility of a winless season for the Golden Bears. Going into the match KU had 11 straight losses.
The play of senior Rich Lichtenwalner led the Golden Bears past Bloomfield, as he and Filip Lagerqvist won their fourth straight match together, winning a doubles match at the second flight by a score of 8-3.
Lichtenwalner also secured a victory in singles competition, winning a match at the fourth flight.
Gabriel Nogara Souza and Joan Oliver Perez also contributed to the Golden Bear victory. They teamed up for a doubles win with a score of 9-8.
Each also won a singles victory against the Bloomfield Bears.
In late 2015, Conor McGregor had a knockout win over Jose Aldo in UFC 194. He was victorious with a right-hand punch ending the match just as he had predicted earlier in the week.
Will McGregor’s predictions come true for the upcoming lightweight championship bout?
McGregor’s training, mind games and dedication to the sport will lead him to success as he steps up to fight current lightweight champion Rafael Dos Anjos.
McGregor has a history of trash talk that his critics claim to be overconfidence.
However, his strategic mind game breaks through his opponent’s concentration, which allows him to play out the match just as he says he will.
As we saw with the undefeated fan favorite of 2013, Anderson Silva, overconfidence was his greatest downfall when he opened himself up to Chris Weidman’s left hook.
McGregor will not make the same mistake. He can continue to use his Irish trash talk to his advantage but he must continue to use a strong defense while on the mat.
In UFC 197, McGregor must stay on his feet. He could be in trouble if taken down since his opponent has a strong background of grappling. McGregor must rely on his reach advantage as the superior striker of the match. He will need to fight smart, which he has a history of doing.
Conor McGregor has released his prediction saying he will win by knockout in the first round. This is an ambitious claim for a featherweight champion who is fighting up to become a dual weight champion.
The first round will be explosive and McGregor’s defense will be tested as Dos Anjos tries to take him down.
In the second round, McGregor won’t wait around ending the match with a knockout strike. Solid defense
will leave Conor McGregor as the first UFC champion to add a second title to his name.