NORTON, Mass. – Sophomore Izzy Kruse (Woodstock, Ga.) was a double-winner for the Wheaton College (Mass.) women's tennis team in a 4-3 loss to visiting Assumption University this afternoon on the Clark Tennis Courts on the Wheaton campus in Norton, Mass.
The Lyons dip to 1-1 on the season, while the Division II Greyhounds improve to 3-3.
Wheaton won two of three matches in doubles play to take the doubles point and a 1-0 match lead, before Assumption took the top three singles matches in straight sets to establish a 3-1 lead. The Lyons won at fourth and sixth singles to knot the match and set up fifth singles for the dual match's winning point.
Junior Jessica Crosby (Westfield, Mass.) pulled out a three-set win at fifth singles to give the Greyhounds the victory. Crosby won the opening set, defeating Wheaton junior Zoe West (New York, N.Y.), 6-0. West exacted revenge in the second frame with a 6-0 effort of her own to set up a third set for the match. Each player broke the other's serve twice and Crosby owned a 4-3 lead before breaking West for a third time to take a 5-3 lead in the frame. The junior held serve and won the set, 6-3, to give the visitors the match, 4-3.
The Lyons opened the match with a 6-3 win at second doubles behind first year Kara Greenlee (San Antonio, Texas) and Kruse over Crosby and Greyhound junior Caitlin Sze (South Windsor, Conn.). Assumption bounced back with a win at number three doubles to pull even in doubles action. Junior Isabelle Edwards (Gloucestershire, AE) and sophomore Elizabeth McGeer (Longmeadow, Mass.) combined for a 6-3 decision over West and first year Tessa Hammond (Edgartown, Mass.) for the Lyons.
Wheaton's number one doubles duo of junior Mareike Mueller (Amesbury, Mass.) and first year Alissa Ortiz (El Paso, Texas) turned in a 6-4 effort over the Greyhounds senior pair of Aimee Figgins (Milford, Mass.) and Cara McCormack (Worcester, Mass.) to gain the doubles point.
Figgins captured the first singles point for Assumption, dropping just one game at third singles, 6-1, 6-0, over Mueller. McCormack matched the effort at first singles with a 6-0, 6-1 triumph over Ortiz to give the Greyhounds a 2-1 lead in the match. Sze continued the singles success for Assumption with a 6-0, 6-4 win at second singles over Wheaton's Greenlee.
The lower part of the line-up began the Lyons comeback with Kruse defeating Edwards at fourth singles, 6-0, 6-3 for her second win of the afternoon, before Wheaton first year Haylee Doiron (Lowell, Mass.) picked up her first collegiate victory with a 6-2, 6-1 victory at sixth singles over McGeer to tie the match at 3-3.
The Greyhounds return to action on September 28 when they host Southern New Hampshire University at 3:00 p.m., while Wheaton travels to New London, N.H. on Sunday, October 2 to take on Colby-Sawyer College at 12:00 p.m.
