CAMBRIDGE, MA- The Wheaton College women's tennis team claimed a
share of its first regular season league championship on Tuesday
afternoon, as the Lyons knocked off host Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT), 6-3 in a battle of regionally-ranked New England
Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) teams at the Carr
Tennis Bubble.
With the victory, Wheaton secured the top seed in the upcoming
NEWMAC Tournament, which is set to start on Saturday, October 24,
at MIT. Winning for the fourth straight time and victorious
in nine of their last 10 matches, the Lyons raised their season
record to 11-2 and conference mark to 6-1, as Wheaton's six league
wins match a program high.
Tuesday's match showcased two of the top 12 teams in the
Northeast, as Wheaton entered the competition ranked 12th by the
Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and MIT 11th. With
the loss, the Engineers fell to 3-4 and 3-3.
The visitors took two of three doubles matches for a 2-1 lead,
capped by a thrilling 9-8 win at two by senior Katherine Knies (Purdys, NY/North Salem) and sophomore
Allesandra DiOrio (Cumberland, RI/Lincoln School),
who won the tiebreaker by a 10-8 count.
Junior Ellen Van Faasen (Manchester, MA/Manchester Essex
Regional) and sophomore Rosalyn Chesky (South
Hadley, MA/Wilbraham & Monson Academy) surrendered
just one game at three, while juniors Sarah Geocaris
(Newport Beach, CA/Sage Hill School) and Catherine Teague (Manchester, NH/Central) fell 8-6 in the top
spot.
After dropping a pair of three-setters to open singles play and
trail 3-2, Wheaton stormed back to win its final four matches, with
Chesky's 6-1, 6-1 triumph at number six serving as the deciding
contest. Knies also allowed just two games in her victory in
the fifth slot.
DiOrio posted a 7-6, 6-3 victory in the fourth position, while
Van Faasen fought back from a one-set deficit to win 0-6, 6-4, 6-4
at three.
Wheaton is back in action this Friday, when the three-day New
England Women's Intercollegiate Tennis Tournament (NEWITT) begins
at Amherst College.
