NEWTON, Mass. - The Simmons College women's tennis team defeated host Mount Ida College, 9-0, this afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference dual match in Newton, Mass. The Sharks win their fifth straight match to improve to 8-2 overall and 5-0 in league play. They also extend their conference dual match win streak to 51 straight, while the Mustangs fall to 0-8 and 0-4.

First years Han DK Le (Tra Vinh, Vietnam/Matignon H.S. (Mass.)) (7-2 singles, 3-0 doubles) and Mary Matthews (Wakefield, R.I.) (4-0 singles, 2-0 doubles) were both double winners for Simmons with victories in singles and doubles action. Le combined with sophomore Tatiana Yugay (Westborough, Mass.) (1-0 singles, 3-1 doubles) to defeat the Mount Ida pair of senior Patti-Ann Doucette (Lynn, Mass.) and sophomore Danielle Barnabe (Warwick, R.I.), 8-0 at number two doubles. Matthews paired with classmate Lilli Blumkin (Del Mar, Calif.) (1-0 singles, 1-0 doubles) to take third doubles, 8-1, over the Mustangs' junior Rose Schneider (Lowell, Mass.) and sophomore Alicia Ritchie (Andover, Conn.). Le cruised at number three singles with a 6-0, 6-0 win over sophomore Victoria Messinger (Southbury, Conn.), while Matthews was also unscathed in singles play with a 6-0, 6-0 triumph at number four over senior Kaytlen Putnam (Falmouth, Mass.) to increase her combined season record to a spotless 6-0.

Sophomore Theresa Reinhard (Canton, Ohio) (4-7 singles, 6-3 doubles) teamed with junior Meg Cokely (Haverhill, Mass.) (8-3 singles, 4-4 doubles) to power to an 8-0 win at first doubles over the Mount Ida first year duo of Rebecca Levy (Plymouth, Mass.) and Olivia Budney (Webster, Mass.). 

Junior Rachael Downey (Groveland, Mass.) (4-6 singles, 6-5 doubles) seized victory at first singles for the Sharks with a 6-1, 6-3 showing against Levy, while sophomore Cathy Baker (Simsbury, Conn.) (4-0 singles, 5-1 doubles) did not drop a set in a 6-0, 6-0 win at number two singles over Budney to remain perfect in singles action for the season. Sophomore Ashley Pierce (Carver, Mass.) (1-0 singles, 2-0 doubles) blanked her Mount Ida opponent, Schneider, 6-0, 6-0 at fifth singles and first year Winnie Yee (South San Francisco, Calif.) (1-0 singles) won her first collegiate match in impressive fashion, 6-0, 6-0, at sixth singles over Mustangs' first year Yuiana Chairez (Waltham, Mass.).

Simmons returns to action on Sunday, October 12 when it travels to New Haven, Conn. to take on GNAC foe Albertus Magnus College at 11:00 a.m., while Mount Ida hosts Albertus Magnus on October 13 at 12:00 p.m.