SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - Powered by a come-from-behind effort from first year Han DK Le (Weston, Mass.), the Simmons College tennis team posted a 5-4 victory over host Mount Holyoke Collegethis afternoon on the MHC Courts in South Hadley, Mass. The Sharks, who garnered key points with wins in two of three doubles, move to 2-0 overall for their best start in 10 years, while the Lyons slip to 1-1 after the four-hour match.
Both teams were locked in a 4-4 draw with the match coming down to the sixth flight as Le (2-0 singles) and Mount Holyoke junior Michelle Cai (Hong Kong, China) battled it out under intense sun and temperatures. Cai took the early advantage, pulling out a 7-5 win in the first set, but Le came back strong with scores of 6-1 and 6-2 to win the match and give Simmons the team victory.
The match opened with the Sharks grabbing wins in the second and third doubles. Sophomore Theresa Reinhard (Canton, Ohio) (1-1 singles, 1-1 doubles) and junior Rachael Downey (Groveland, Mass.) (0-2 singles, 1-1 doubles) posted an 8-4 win over MHC senior Sarah Anischik (Tolland, Conn.) and sophomore Amy Chen (Hilo, Hawaii) in the second flight. Simmons junior Katie Crowley (Reading, Mass.) (1-1 singles, 2-0 doubles) and sophomore Cathy Baker (Simsbury, Conn.) (2-0 doubles) then gained an 8-6 win over Lyons' sophomore Alexa Colas (Teaneck, N.J.) and Cai at number three.
The Lyons claimed wins in the third, fourth and fifth flights as sophomore Mira Murali (Fall City, Wash.) gutted her way to a 6-1, 2-6, 6-1 win over Downey. First year Ishita Tibrewal (Kolkata, India), who also posted a first flight victory in doubles on the day, took the fourth flight by a 6-2, 6-2 margin over junior Caroline Khoury (Portsmouth, Ohio) (1-1 singles, 0-2 doubles), while Colas posted a 6-0, 6-2 victory against Crowley.
The Sharks are back on the court on Wednesday, September 3 for their home opener when they face Roger Williams University at 3:30 p.m. at the Harvard Tennis Courts in Cambridge, Mass., while Mount Holyoke returns to action on September 4 when it hosts the University of Saint Joseph at 5:00 p.m.
