NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The Simmons College women's tennis team saw two duos advance in the consolation round of the New England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament this afternoon at host Mount Holyoke College in Northampton, Mass.
Junior Olivia Lakes (Dorchester, Mass.) defeated Smith College first year Emma Essenmacher (Delran, N.J.), 4-6, 6-1, 10-8 in the 'B' Draw and combined with first year Jessica Schroedl (Staatsburg, N.Y.) to down Essenmacher and senior Margaret Anne Smith (Spring Lake, N.J.), 8-2, in doubles play. Smith defeated Schroedl, 6-4, 6-2, in singles action.
The Sharks advanced to face the Nichols College pairing of first years Isabelle Leonardi (North Hampton, N.H.) and Rachel McDonald (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) in the next round. Leonardi defeated Schroedl, 8-1, in pro-set form in singles action, while Lakes was blanked by McDonald, 8-0. The Nichols pair also scored an 8-2 doubles win over the Simmons duo.
Junior Mary Matthews (Wakefield, R.I.) and first year Marissa Johnson (Norwell, Mass.) also advanced to the next round in the 'D' Draw consolations. The Sharks pair registered its second doubles victory in as many days with an 8-1 decision over Smith College's junior Tess Ostoyich (Bethesda, Md.) and Smith first year Evie Hoffman (Pittsboro, N.C.). Matthews also picked up a singles win over Hoffman, winning in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1. Johnson had little trouble in recording a 6-0, 6-1 win over Ostoyich. The Simmons duo advanced to play Springfield College, but was unable to score a win in singles or doubles play. Johnson succumbed to senior Kelsey Whelpley (Mastich Beach, N.Y.), 6-4, 7-5 in singles play and Matthews was defeated, 6-2, 6-0, by senior Fiona Stickney (Bayport, N.Y.). The Sharks were stopped by the Springfield duo, 8-2 in doubles play as well.
Simmons first year Mai Driesen (Fayetteville, N.Y.) turned in a 6-2, 6-4 triumph in singles play in the 'D' Draw over Colby College first year Hania Lenderking (Washington, D.C), while sophomore Emily Dyckman overcame Sharks' first year Nickie Nguyen (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam/Saint Joseph Preparatory (Mass.)) in three sets. Nguyen came away with the first set, 7-6, before Dyckman rebounded to win the second set, 6-2, and the third, 10-7. Dyckman and Lenderking combined for an 8-4 win over Driesen and Nguyen as well.
Simmons returns to action on Saturday, October 22 when it competes in the Semifinals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championships at the Lawn Tennis Centre in Winchester, Mass.