BRISTOL, R.I. - Senior Meg Cokely (Haverhill, Mass.) and junior Theresa Reinhard (Canton, Ohio) were double winners for the Simmons College women's tennis team, but it wasn't enough as host Roger Williams University posted a 6-3 victory in the season-opening match for both teams. The Sharks fall to 0-1 on the season, while the Hawks improve to 1-0.

Cokely (1-0 singles, 1-0 doubles) and Reinhard (1-0 singles, 1-0 doubles) captured the first point of the afternoon for Simmons with an 8-6 pro-set victory at number one doubles over the Roger Williams' tandem of senior Lauren Schmidt (South Windsor, Conn.) and sophomore Julia Akerman (Greenwich, Conn.). The win pulled the Sharks to within 2-1 after doubles action.

Cokely did not drop a game at number two singles with a 6-0, 6-0 decision over sophomore Kathryn Hughes (Westford, Mass.), while Reinhard had little trouble at first singles with a 6-0, 6-2 victory over junior Harley Kaiserman (Setauket, N.Y.) to give Simmons a 3-2 edge. However, the Hawks went on to win the final four singles matches for the victory.

Hughes and sophomore Gabrielle Riley (Barnstable, Mass.) gave Roger Williams its first point of the day with an 8-2 win at third doubles over the Sharks' duo of senior Katie Crowley (Reading, Mass.) (0-1 singles, 0-1 doubles) and sophomore Mary Matthews (Wakefield, R.I.) (0-1 doubles). Kaiserman and junior Caroline McCarthy (Carver, Mass.) matched their RWU teammates' score with an 8-2 showing over senior Rachael Downey (Groveland, Mass.) (0-1 singles, 0-1 doubles) and first year Ashley Chen (Hilo, Hawaii) (0-1 singles, 0-1 doubles) at second doubles.

Riley cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 win at sixth singles for the Hawks over Simmons junior Ashley Pierce (Carver, Mass.) (0-1 singles), before sophomore Ali Stankiewicz (Brunswick, Maine) clinched the match for the home team with a 6-3, 6-0 triumph at number five singles over Chen, who made her collegiate debut for Simmons. Schmidt dropped just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 win for Roger Williams over Crowley at third singles, before Akerman battled Downey for a three-set win at fourth singles, taking the opening set, 6-4, before Downey tied the match with a 7-6 (2) showing in the second frame. Schmidt won the third set in a super tie-break, 10-2, to give the Hawks a 6-3 final.

The Sharks will be in action again on Saturday, September 5 when they travel to Worcester, Mass. to take on Clark University at 1:00 p.m., while Roger Williams heads to Milton, Mass. on the same day to play Curry College at Noon.