EWING, N.J. and HAVERFORD, Pa. - The 30th-ranked Haverford College women's tennis team registered a split in split-squad action on Wednesday afternoon, taking down Ursinus in Centennial Conference action, 5-2, while falling to No. 40 TCNJ in a non-conference battle, with the Lions prevailing by that same 5-2 scoreline.
No 30. Haverford 5, Ursinus 2
The No. 30 Haverford College women's tennis team earned a crucial Centennial Conference victory, defeating Ursinus 5-2 at Bramall Courts. Haverford (9-8, 6-1 CC) set the tone early by taking the doubles point with wins at No. 1 and No. 2. Sophie Capone and Sriya Krishnan opened with a strong 6-2 victory over Caroline Daly and Bella Vassalluzzo, while Erika Phanord and Maddy Kayyali followed with a 6-3 win against Kate Rubinkam and Morgan Coupe.
Ursinus (6-9, 0-5 CC) responded quickly in singles, evening the match at 1-1 when Sara Steelesmith defeated Paige Copenhaver 6-0, 6-0 at No. 6. Capone restored the Haverford lead at No. 1, beating Daly 6-3, 6-0, and Phanord extended the advantage to 3-1 with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Katie Yu at No. 2.
The visitors pulled back within one at No. 5, where Rubinkam defeated Morgan Reis 6-2, 6-1. But the Fords answered in the middle of the lineup, as Kayyali delivered the clinching point at No. 4 with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Vassalluzzo to secure the team victory.
In the final match on court, Krishnan added an insurance point at No. 3, outlasting Coupe 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 to close out the 5-2 result.
No. 40 TCNJ 5, No. 30 Haverford 2
In Ewing, Doubles play opened with TCNJ taking two of three courts to grab the the doubles point. At third doubles, Elizabeth Ring and Gabriella Robinson delivered a quick start for the Lions, defeating Mallika Reddy and Lolly Adair 6-0 in the first match to reach conclusion on a sunny Wednesday.
Haverford responded at No. 2, where Adelaide Kreutel and Abhishree Menon earned a 6-3 win over Eleni Dakos and Gabrielle Brideau to even the session. The deciding point came at the first flight, as Zoey Albert and Shruti Mannan edged Aarti Prochnow and Jolie Zink 7-6 (7-2) to put TCNJ ahead 1-0 entering singles.
Singles play saw the Lions extend that momentum immediately. Ring got the better of Adair at No. 6 singles, 6-0, 6-0, to make it 2-0 in favor of the hosts. Dakos followed at No. 1 singles with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Zink to push the lead to 3-0.
Haverford got on the board at No. 3 singles, where Kreutel rebounded after dropping the first set to defeat Brideau 4-6, 6-1, 10-4 (super tiebreaker), trimming the deficit to 3-1. TCNJ answered at No. 2 singles as Albert defeated Prochnow 7-5, 6-3 to clinch the team victory.
The final two matches were split in three-set battles. At No. 5 singles, Robinson outlasted Menon 7-5, 0-6, 1-0 (10-6 super tiebreaker), while at No. 4 singles, Reddy earned a hard-fought win over Mannan 6-2, 6-7 (7-1), (12-10 super breaker) to close the 5-2 decision
The Fords now hop right back into action on Saturday, taking on No. 22 Denison (1 p.m.) at the Villanova Tennis Complex in Villanova, Pa.
