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Box Score 2 SOUTH HADLEY & AMHERST, MA – Powered by a strong singles effort and a 2-1 margin at doubles, the Vassar College women's tennis team posted a 7-2 victory over Mount Holyoke College in non-conference action on Saturday afternoon at the Kendall Field House. The Brewers then played against #9 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) later in the day at the Bay Road Club, falling to the nationally-ranked Engineers by a 9-0 margin in a four-hour battle. VC is now 2-2 in dual meet action this season.
"Playing the second match of the day after defeating Mount Holyoke College in a three-hour match in the morning, I was impressed with our fight, composure and fitness level," said head coach
Kathy Campbell. "We were fresh in the second match as well."
Against Mount Holyoke it was the Lyons who struck first as the third doubles pairing of sophomore Hannah Middleton and first year Shweta Kiran Cavale bested Brewers freshman
Tatum Blalock and senior
Ashley Fair by an 8-1 margin.
The Brewers struck back in the second flight as junior Francis Cornwall and sophomore
Melina Stavropoulos posted an 8-4 victory over senior Catherine Peabody and junior Anya Gerasimova. Vassar grabbed the 2-1 advantage from one as freshman
Miriam Gandham and junior captain
Sarra Yekta battled to a 8-6 victory over senior Ching-Ching Huang and sophomore Annissa Aamoum.
In singles action, the Brewers gained a 3-1 lead as Cornwall earned a 6-1, 6-0 victory against Gerasimova. From four, Stavropoulos was the victor with a 6-0, 7-6 (8-6) win against Cavale. VC sealed the win from three as Blalock earned a 6-0, 6-3 win against Peabody.
At five, the Brewers gained the 5-1 advantage as sophomore Cara Kilzilbash earned a 6-3, 7-5 win over Aamoun.
Next up from one, Huang gave the Lyons their second point with a 6-3, 6-3 victory against Gandham. It was the Brewers who closed out the match with a 2-6, 6-3 (10-5) win against Middleton at six.
In the evening finale against the Engineers, the Brewers showed a ton of fight in doubles action, including at the third flight. Blalock and Stavropoulos combined to face-off against MIT's Lara Rakocevic and Yuka Perera. Despite several strong rallies, the Brewers duo fell by an 8-6 margin. From one, Yekta and Gandham shouldered an 8-2 loss to Pamela Duke and Mega Guenther, while from two, Cornwall and senior
Tara Edwards shouldered a tough 8-1 loss to Sarah Pertsemlidis and Ashley Teng.
Singles action also saw several battles, including from the fifth flight as Rakocevic and Stavropoulos squared-off. MIT won the first set, but VC battled back in the second for the win. It would be Rakocevic who prevailed in a tie breaker for the 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (10-5) margin. From one, Pertsemlidis defeated Cornwall, 6-3, 6-2, while at two, Castelino bested Gandham, 7-5, 6-2.
From three, Duke earned a 6-1, 6-0 win over Blalock, while from four, Teng posted a 6-0, 6-1 win over Edwards. Six saw Perera defeat Yekta, 6-1, 6-3.
Vassar is now idle until March 8 when it heads to California to open Spring Break action on the West Coast. The Brewers will face Bowdoin on March 8th at 4pm. Action will be at the Claremont-Mudd Scripps Tennis Center in Claremont, California.
