SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – October 14, 2008 – The Mount Holyoke College women’s tennis team glided to a 8-1 triumph over Springfield College this afternoon in New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action at the Mount Holyoke Tennis Courts. It was the final dual match of the fall for both squads.
With their ninth straight victory over the Pride, the Lyons clinched the fifth seed in the upcoming NEWMAC Tournament. They will face off against fourth seeded Babson College in the quarterfinal round of the event on Saturday, October 25 at 9:30 a.m. Mount Holyoke is slated to host the tournament, which will conclude the following afternoon.
The Lyons set the tone early, securing three doubles wins.
Sophomore Natalie Hsiang and first year Heather Richardson got things going with an 8-3 triumph over junior Funmi Olowookere and sophomore Kyla Walgren in the number three matchup.
In the number two contest, juniors Sarah London and Beatrix Hartmann defeated junior Rachel Kushma and sophomore Tayla Pessolano 8-6. Springfield nearly broke through for its first point of the day at the number one slot, but senior Ashley Fallon and sophomore Elise Marifian held on for a 9-8 (7-3) win over senior Melissa Weinstein and sophomore Amy Shaw.
From there, Mount Holyoke (5-4, 3-4 NEWMAC) took five of the six singles contests to seal things. All five of the Lyons victories came in straight sets.
Hartmann highlighted things with a 6-0, 6-0 win over Pessolano at the sixth spot. Fallon upended Shaw 6-1, 6-1 in the number one matchup, while London downed Olowookere 6-1, 6-2 at the number four slot. Marifian and junior Elizabeth Tighe added 6-2, 6-2 wins at the numbers two and five positions, respectively, to round things out for the hosts.
Springfield’s (2-7, 1-6 NEWMAC) lone point of the afternoon came from Kushma, who bested Hsiang 6-3, 6-4 at number three.
Both clubs will be participating in the New England Women’s Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT) this weekend. The event will take place at Mount Holyoke, Amherst College and Hampshire College from Friday through Sunday.
