CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Taking the court for the final time in the regular season, Simmons College Tennis fell to the the 13th ranked MIT Engineers just across the Charles River, 9-0.
MIT (16-4) picked up two quick points in doubles play to start the match. The team of junior Michelle Dutt and freshman Krystal Lai quickly scored the first point of the day for the Engineers by taking an 8-0 win at No. 3. MIT went to a 2-0 lead in the match when its No. 2 team won 8-2. At No. 1 Simmons (13-5) made a bid for a point, but its tandem of Margaret Teague (Manchester, N.H.) and Meghan Cokely (Haverhill, Mass.) came up a bit short in an 8-5 loss to the Engineers' duo of freshman Elysa Kohrs and sophomore Victoria Tam.
Dutt won the first point in singles play for MIT, taking a 6-0, 6-0 decision over Katie Crowley (Reading, Mass.) in the No. 6 position. Kohrs put the match in the win column for the Engineers in her No. 1 matchup with Teague, winning by the same 6-0, 6-0 score. Lai also won her match by the same score at No. 3 for the Engineers.
Junior Vynnie Kong took a 6-0, 6-2 decision in the No. 5 match, with her sister, freshman Wendi Kong taking the next point in the match, winning a 6-2, 6-2 decision over Theresa Reinhard (Canton, Ohio). Hsu put the finishing touches on the victory, taking a 6-2, 6-0 triumph over Sofie Epshtein (Newton, Mass.) at No. 4.
MIT will be off for two weeks when the Engineers will play in the NCAA Tournament as the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) champions. Simmons will also play in the NCAA Tournament, with the Sharks taking the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) title last fall. Both teams will learn where and who they will play when the NCAA Division III Women's Tennis Championship bracket is released on May. 5.