Norton, Mass. – October 23, 2013 - The Springfield College women’s tennis team had its first taste of the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) tournament since 2005 on Wednesday.
Third-seeded Wheaton hosted sixth-seeded Springfield in the NEWMAC quarterfinals, with the Lyons prevailing 5-0 over the Pride.
For Springfield, it was the program’s first appearance in the NEWMAC tournament since the 2005 season. The young Springfield team finished the regular season 6-5 overall and 3-5 in NEWMAC play. The Pride has just one senior on the team, captain Sydney Streimer (Mystic, Conn.).
Wheaton swept all three doubles matches to start the day. Mel Thulin (Manchester Center, Vt.) and Ariana Shemms (Goshen, Conn.) played well at No. 2 doubles for Springfield. Wheaton’s Amanda Brazell (Las Vegas, Nev.) and Morgan Bell (Gloucester, Mass.) battled to an 8-3 win over the pair. Thulin also played well in No. 3 singles against Bell. Thulin held a 2-1 lead early on in the first set.
Alexandra Marlowe (Mesa, Ariz) and Lyndsay Cooke (Bakersfield, Calif.) won 8-0 over Springfield’s Rachel London (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) and Stephanie Foster (Woodbridge, Conn.) in No. 1 doubles. Wheaton’s Sarah Crom (Bremen, Germany) and Jessica Moore (Middletown, R.I.) prevailed 8-1 in No. 3 doubles over Streimer and Alanna Grady (Springfield, Mass.).
The Lyons needed just two more wins heading into singles-play. They got wins from Cooke (6-0, 6-0) in No. 2 singles and Brazell (6-2, 6-1) in No. 4 singles to end the match, advancing to their seventh-straight semifinal. NEWMAC tournament matches are played to decision.
The Lyons (10-2, 6-2 NEWMAC) will square off against No. 2 Wellesley College (8-2, 7-1 NEWMAC) on Saturday, October 26 at 3:00 p.m. in Wellesley, Mass. The winner of SaturdayÂ's match will play the winner of No. 4 Babson (9-5, 5-3 NEWMAC) and top-seeded MIT (9-0, 8-0 NEWMAC) on Sunday, October 27 at Wellesley College at 1:00 p.m. The Beavers defeated Mount Holyoke College, 6-0, earlier today to advance to the semifinal round for the fourth-straight season.
