DORCHESTER, Mass. — The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's tennis team saw every player in the line-up pick up a win either in singles or doubles play in a 5-4 victory over host University of Massachusetts Boston this afternoon at the Boston College High School tennis courts in Dorchester, Mass. 

The Lyons improve to 4-1 on the season, including 4-0 vs. Division III foes for their best start since the 2013-14 campaign. The Beacons fall to 0-1 on the year. 

Wheaton won two of three doubles matches to take a 2-1 edge into singles play, before winning three of the first four singles matches to earn the fifth and deciding point.

Junior Izzy Kruse (Woodstock, Ga.) was a double-winner with triumphs at both doubles and singles play for the Lyons. The junior earned Wheaton's fifth point with a straight set 7-6 (4), 6-4 victory at number four singles over UMass Boston junior Ayonna Stuppard (Randolph, Mass.) to give the Lyons a 5-2 lead and improve her singles mark to 3-1.

Kruse had paired with first year Asia Hollis (Hamilton, Bermuda) to give Wheaton a 2-0 lead following an 8-4 decision at number three doubles over first year Zainab Patel (Ahmedabad, India) and sophomore Shreya Saravana Rakshana (India). Kruse raised her doubles record to 4-1 to give her a combined mark of 7-2 on the season.

Senior Mareike Mueller (Amesbury, Mass.) combined with sophomore Kara Greenlee (San Antonio, Texas) for a convincing 8-2 win at first doubles over the Beacons' top senior duo of Meagan Carney (Arlington, Mass.) and Lydia Chan (Quincy, Mass.). The Lyon pair improved their doubles count to 4-1 on the season.

Stuppard and junior Elena Albano (Haverhill, Mass.) got a point back in doubles action for UMass Boston, battling Wheaton's first year pair of Laila Haraj-Sai (Madison, Conn.) and Taylor Wilson (Dover, N.H.) to a 7-7 deadlock, before winning the tie-break, 7-4, to take the match at 8-7. 

The Beacons pulled even in the match with a win at number two singles, but the Lyons took the next three singles tilts to secure the dual-match victory. Patel dropped just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win over Greenlee to make it 2-2 in the match.

Wilson reclaimed the match lead for Wheaton with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 effort at fifth singles to improve her singles mark to 4-1. Albano was on the other end of the result for UMass Boston.

Haraj-Sai gave the Lyons a 4-2 margin with a gritty win at number three singles over Carney to improve to 3-1 in singles action. The rookie cruised through the opening set, 6-1, but fought to a 7-6 (7-5) win in the second frame to take the match. 

Chan outlasted Mueller for the Beacons in the only three-set singles match of the day. Chan took the first set, 7-6 (5), before Mueller bounced back to take the middle frame, 6-4. Chan scored with a 10-5 tie-breaker result in the third set to make it 5-3 in the match.

First year Sandra Watson (West Palm Beach, Fla.) won her first collegiate match for UMass Boston with a 7-5, 6-2 showing at sixth singles over Hollis to close out the dual-match.

Wheaton returns to action when they travel to Northampton, Mass. to compete in the three-day New England Women's Tennis Tournament on the campus of Smith College on Friday, October 6. The Beacons return to the courts on September 23 when they host Salem State University at 12:00 p.m.