NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The Simmons College women's tennis team defeated host Smith College, 7-2, today in Northampton, Mass. on the campus of Smith. The Sharks improve to 10-5 on the season to run their streak of seasons with at least 10 wins to 13. The Pioneers fall to 4-8.
Juniors Theresa Reinhard (Canton, Ohio) and seniors Meg Cokely (Haverhill, Mass.), Katie Crowley (Reading, Mass.) and Rachael Downey (Groveland, Mass.) were all double winners for Simmons.
Crowley (8-4 singles, 9-5 doubles) and Downey (8-5 singles, 13-5 doubles) put the Sharks on the board wtih an 8-1 victory in pro-set form over first year Noa Dubin (Southampton, N.Y.) and junior Alexandra Steck. Reinhard (8-4 singles, 15-4 doubles) and Cokely (11-2 singles, 15-4 doubles) cruised past sophomore Samantha Peikes (West Hartford, Conn.) and first year Joanna Kim (Chicago, IL), 8-2.
Smith cut the deficit in half with a win at at number three doubles, courtesy of first years Janan Fugel (Franklin Lakes, N.J.) and Morgan Barney (North Attleboro, Mass.), over the Simmons duo of first year Ashley Chen (Hilo, Hawaii) (8-5 singles, 8-9 doubles) and sophomore Mary Matthews (Wakefield, R.I.) (1-3 singles, 8-9 doubles), 8-4.
Chen bounced back in singles action for the Sharks, defeating Fugel, 6-1, 6-2 at fifth singles. Downey won 6-2, 6-2 over Barney at number four singles for Simmons, before Cokely's 6-1, 6-4 victory over Peikes at number two singles gave the Sharks the decisive fifth point and a 5-1 lead. Reinhard added to the lead after getting blanked in the first set by Dubin at number one singles, 6-0, only to win the next two frames, 6-2, 6-3, to come away with the win. Crowley gave Simmons a 6-2 margin when she dropped just three games in a 6-1, 6-2 triumph over Kim at number three singles. The Pioneers' lone singles victory came at number six, where Steck outlasted Simmons junior Ashley Pierce (Carver, Mass.) (6-5 singles, 3-2 doubles) to come away with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 win.
The Sharks will be in action again on Saturday, April 2 when they travel to Springfield, Mass. to take on Springfield College for a 12:00 p.m. match, while Smith hosts Colby-Sawyer College at 4:00 p.m. on April 1.