Simmons Tennis competed at the New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT), held at Middlebury College on Friday and Saturday. Despite facing some very strong competition, the Sharks managed to finish the weekend with a 3-3 record.
"Overall, the quality of tennis was very high," said Head Coach Bob Rauseo. "Sabrina Salmela (Beverly, Mass.), Maile Macleod (Carlsbad, Calif.) and Jordan Borash (Marblehead, Mass.) all played elimination matches and came through with wins. This was some of our best tennis of the season."
Simmons' #1 doubles team of freshman Salmela and junior Macleod got the action started with a match vs. Bates College's #3 team. Salmela and Macleod lost the match 9-8, but both bounced back to win their singles matches to grab the 2-1 victory for the Sharks.
In the second round, Salmela and Macleod faced off against a duo from Amherst College, currently ranked #2 in the nation. The Sharks gave them all they could handle early in the match, but eventually lost 8-4. Amherst eventually earned wins in both singles matches, and swept the Sharks for a 3-0 victory.
The Simmons #2 doubles team of sophomore Maggie Taylor (Yarmouth, Maine) and Melissa Keroack (Falmouth, Maine) had a tough first round in the B draw. Taylor and Keroack lost three tight sets 8-6,8-4 and 8-5, facing the Bates #4 team.
Taylor and Keroack came back strong in the consolation round against MIT's #4 team. After winning the doubles 8-4, Simmons swept the singles 8-3 and 8-4 to pick up the win over their cross-river foe.
The Simmons #3 team had an exciting match in the opening round against Mount Holyoke's #3. Sophomore Athena Lynch (Andover, Mass.) and Borash won the opening doubles in a 9-8 tiebreaker to go up 1-0. Mount Holyoke fought back to win a singles tiebreaker to even the score at 1-1. The deciding point went to the Sharks as Borash defeated her opponent 8-5 to move Simmons into the second round.
Middlebury's #5 team was a bit too strong for the Sharks in the second round. The Panthers won a couple of 8-4 sets over Simmons in the eventual 3-0 win.
"The NEWITT is always so exciting and we look forward to this tournament every year," said Macleod. "Win or lose, it was the best tennis I have seen our team play. Being on the courts for 14 hours, we were there supporting one another through it all. Each player gave their all and I am so proud of everyone."
Simmons will return to action on Saturday, October 24 when they compete in the Great Northeast Athletic Conference semifinal round. The Sharks have earned a bye for the first round after finishing in first place in the GNAC regular season.