NORTON, Mass. - The Simmons College tennis team defeated host Wheaton College, 5-4, this afternoon on the Clark Tennis Courts in Norton, Mass. The match was the season opener for both teams and the victory for the Sharks was the first-ever over the Lyons and also snapped the home team's 13-match opening season win streak. Simmons improves to 1-0 on the season, while Wheaton falls to 0-1.

The Lyons owned a 2-1 lead after doubles play and took a 3-1 lead after Wheaton junior Caroline DiNicola-Fawley (Brattleboro, Vt.) defeated junior Rachael Downey (Groveland, Mass.) (0-1 singles, 0-1 doubles) at third singles, 7-6, 6-2.

The Sharks began their comeback when junior Meg Cokely (Haverhill, Mass.) (1-0 singles, 0-1 doubles) defeated Lyons' junior Izzy Gorham (Durham, N.H.) in straight sets, 6-1, 6-4, at number two singles. First year Han DK Le (Weston, Mass.) (1-0 singles) passed the first big test of her collegiate career for Simmons when she dropped the first set at sixth singles to junior Caroline Stanclift (Camden, Maine) and trailed in the second set, 4-1.  She then won 11 of the next 12 games to take the second set, 6-4 and the deciding set, 6-1 to knot the match at 3-3.

Junior Caroline Khoury (Portsmouth, Ohio) (1-0 singles, 0-1 doubles) gave the Sharks a 4-3 edge when she won the first frame at number four singles, 6-3, before senior Kathryn Burleson (Osterville, Mass.) took the next set, 7-6, but Khoury put the match away with a 6-4 decision in the third. Junior Katie Crowley (Reading, Mass.) (1-0 singles, 1-0 doubles) secured the victory for Simmons with a 7-6, 6-4 triumph at fifth singles over junior Stassy Furber (Montpelier, Vt.) to make it 5-3.

Wheaton sophomore Amanda Brazell (Las Vegas, Nev.) held on for the win at first singles over sophomore Theresa Reinhard (Canton, Ohio) (0-1 singles), 6-2, 6-7, 6-3.

Senior Alexandra Marlowe (Mesa, Ariz.) combined with Brazell to defeat Cokely and Khoury at number one doubles, before the Sharks' duo of sophomore Cathy Baker (Simsbury, Conn.) (1-0 doubles) and Crowley answered with an 8-5 victory at number three doubles over Stanclift and Burleson. DiNicola and Gorham teamed at second doubles for the Lyons to defeat Downey and Reinhard, 9-8 (7-5).

Simmons will be in action again on Monday, September 1 when it travels to South Hadley, Mass. to take on Mount Holyoke College at 1:00 p.m. Wheaton returns to play on September 2 when it heads to Pomfret, Conn. to face Nichols College at 4:00 p.m.