BOSTON, Mass. - The Simmons College women's tennis team was defeated by visiting Johnson & Wales University, 9-0, this afternoon in a Great Northeast Athletic Conference dual match on Daly Courts in Brighton, Mass. The Sharks fall to 7-5 overall and 3-2 in league play. The two conference losses mark the first time since the 2003-04 campaign that Simmons has dropped multiple matches in conference play during the season. The Wildcats win their sixth straight match to improve to 10-1 overall, including 4-0 in league play. 

The Simmons number three doubles tandem of first year Celia Speth (Deefield, Mass.) and junior Paola Rios (Miami, Fla.) battled right down to the wire, before succumbing, 9-8, in a grueling defeat to the Johnson & Wales sophomore pairing of Madison Hernandez (Phoenix, Ariz.) and Holly Olson (Mukwonago, Wisc.). Hernandez later topped Speth to halt her four-match win streak with a 6-0, 6-2 effort at fifth singles and Olson dropped just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 victory at number six singles over Lakes.

Sophomore Nina Cohen (Guatemala City, Guatemala) and junior Delaney Macchirole (Greenport, N.Y.) combined to earn an 8-4 decision at first doubles over the Simmons pair of first year Jessica Schroedl (Staatsburg, N.Y.) and junior Olivia Lakes (Dorchester, Mass.). Cohen went on to defeat Schroedl in singles play, as well, with a 6-0, 6-2 win at number one. Macchirole was also a double winner, defeating junior Michelle Medici (South Portland, Maine), 6-1, 6-2, at fourth singles.  

First year Claire Parry (Weatport, Vt.) teamed with classmate Thapenga Flores (Pasadena, Texas) for an 8-5 triumph at number two doubles over the Simmons sophomore duo of Marissa Johnson (Norwell, Mass.) and Nickie Ngyuen (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam/Saint Joseph's Preparatory (Mass.)). Junior Lauren Torre (New Fairfield, Mass.) enjoyed a 6-1, 6-1 straight-set win for the Wildcats over Johnson at number three singles, before Johnson & Wales senior Taylor Klein (Johnson, N.Y.) battled to a 6-0, 6-3 victory over Nguyen at second singles in the final match of the day. 

The Sharks will be in action again on Monday, October 9 when they travel to Northampton, Mass. to take on Smith College at 12:00 p.m., while the Wildcats host Suffolk University on October 11 at 3:00 p.m.