POUGHKEEPSIE, NY (March 28, 2009) –Hosting the Seven Sisters Championship, the No. 23 Vassar College women's tennis team cruised through its opening matches, defeating Smith College 5-0 in the morning contest and sustaining similar control against Mount Holyoke later in the day, winning 5-0 once again. In other Seven Sisters action, Wellesley College swept Bryn Mawr, 5-0, Mt. Holyoke edged Bryn Mawr, 3-2, and Wellesley earned another 5-0 sweep over Smith.

Wellesley matched Vassar's performance today, sweeping both Smith and Bryn Mawr 5-0. The two squads will face off in a 3:00pm match-up tomorrow that will likely decide the tournament champion. Last year, Wellesley edged Vassar 3-2 to clinch their fourth straight title, all of which were decided in victories over the Brewers.

The Brewers breezed through their first match of the day with two 6-0, 6-0 sweeps in singles play from No. 2 Jennifer Beckerman (Santa Barbara, CA/Santa Barbara) and No. 3 Alexis Jacobson (New Canaan, CT/New Canaan). At No.1 singles Nicole Pontee (Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor), also notched a convincing 6-1, 6-0 win. The Brewers quickly dispatched Mt. Holyoke as well in the afternoon match.

Today was Vassar's first chance to play on their outdoor courts this season, and head coach Kathy Campbell was pleased with the results.

“We came out really focused and ready to deal with any kind of opponent, and we played smart and very well executed team tennis,” said Campbell. “We played our style of play and good, consistent, yet attacking tennis using the opportunities that we had against our opponents. Everybody was sharp, and the scores indicated that we weren't taking anything for granted.”

Mount Holyoke and Smith had the tightest competition on the afternoon, with Mount Holyoke prevailing 3-2. Their number two doubles match was the only one all day to require a third set.

Vassar 5, Mt. Holyoke 0
Singles
1. Nicole Pontee (VC) def. Ashley Fallon (MHC), 6-1, 6-2
2. Jennifer Beckerman (VC) def. Elise Marifan (MHC), 6-0, 6-1
3. Alexis Jacobson (VC) def. Heather Richardson (MHC), 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
1. Joy Backer/Krista Romita (VC) def. Natalie Hsiang/Elisa Frankel (MHC), 6-3, 6-0
2. Jamie Steele/Nicole Block (VC) def. Kara Matsuzawa (MHC), 6-2, 6-1

Wellesley 5, Smith 0
Singles
1. Marie Watanabe (WC) def. Clair Oblamski (SC), 6-1, 6-1
2. Grace Cheng (WC) def. Margaret Steiner (SC), 6-0, 6-0
3. Nathalie Herman (WC) def. Robyn Cyr (SC), 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
1. Mona Siddique/Jacqueline Shen (WC) def. Jaimi Inskeep/Gianna Teague (SC), 6-0, 6-2
2. Meghan Stobblebine/Katie Ching (WC) def. Allyson Hawkins/Mindy Chu (SC), (6-1, 6-0)

Mt. Holyoke 3, Bryn Mawr 2
Singles
1. Karen Ginsburg (BCM) def. Ashley Fallon (MHC), 7-5, 7-6
2. Anna Perrochi (BMC) def. Elise Marifan (MHC), 6-2, 6-0
3. Heather Richardson (MHC) def. Melanie Shafer (BMC), 7-5, 6-1
Doubles
1. Natalie Hsiang/Elisa Frankel (MHC) def. Mimi Nguyen/Leah Raj (BMC), 6-2, 6-1
2. Kara Matsuzawa/Sarah Moore (MHC) def. EB VerHoerve/Priscilla Roney (BMC), 4-6, 6-1, 6-4

Vassar 5, Smith 0
Singles
1. Nicole Pontee (VC) def. Clair Oblamski (SC), 6-1, 6-0
2. Jennifer Beckerman (VC) def. Margaret Steiner (SC), 6-0, 6-0
3. Alexis Jacobson (VC) def. Robyn Cyr (SC), 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
1. Joy Backer/Krista Romita (VC) def. Jaimi Inskeep/Gianna Teague (SC), 6-2, 6-0
2. Jamie Steele/Nicole Block (VC) def. Allyson Hawkins/Mindy Chu (SC), 6-2, 6-0

Wellesley 5, Bryn Mawr 0
Singles
1. Marie Watanabe (WC) def. Karen Ginsburg (BMC), 6-3, 6-2
2. Grace Cheng (WC) def. Anna Perrochi (BMC), 6-0, 6-3
3. Nathalie Herman (WC) def. Melanie Shafer (BMC), 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
1. Mona Siddique/Jacqueline Shen (WC) def. Mimi Nguyen/Leah Raj (BMC), 6-1, 6-0
2. Meghan Stobblebine/Katie Ching(WC) def. EB VerHoerve/Priscilla Roney (BMC), 6-1, 6-0


Seven Sisters Championship Format
Each team will enter three singles and two doubles teams with each athlete participating in just one event. The tournament will follow a round-robin format in flights. All matches will be two out of three sets with a 12-point tiebreak used at six all.
Championship Scoring: One point will be awarded to player and team for each matchwon. The highest score determines the team and flight champions.
In case of a tie, winners will be determined by:
1. Head-to-head winner.
2. Ties among more than two teams or flights will be determined by the highest winning percentage among those that are tied.