ORLANDO, Fla.. – The Wheaton College (Mass.) women's tennis team cruised to an 8-1 victory over Emerson College in New England Women's & Men's Athletic Conference play this afternoon at the United States Tennis Association National Campus in Orlando, Fla.

The Lyons have won three of their last four matches and improve to 7-3 overall and 1-0 in league play, while the Lions fall to 2-7 and 0-2.

Wheaton swept doubles play to take a 3-0 lead, before winning five of six singles matches to win the dual match.

Senior Mareike Mueller (Amesbury, Mass.) was one of four Lyons to gain wins in both doubles and singles play in the match for Wheaton. She teamed with sophomore Kara Greenlee (San Antonio, Texas) to earn an 8-4 decision over the Emerson pair of graduate student Sammi Perry (Newport Beach, Calif.) and senior Gabrielle McGovern (Woodbridge, Conn.) at number one doubles. Mueller needed three sets to top senior Susie-Jane Wilson (Charleston, S.C.) at number one singles after dropping the opening set, 6-2. Mueller came back to take the second frame, 6-3, before winning the final set, 6-2.

Wheaton first year Taylor Wilson (Dover, N.H.) paired with junior Izzy Kruse (Woodstock, Ga.) in an easy 8-0 triumph at third doubles over the Lion duo of graduate student Sophie Oglensky (West Long Branch, N.J.) and junior Chase Stinson (San Antonio, Texas). Taylor Wilson and Kruse also added singles wins to their respective afternoons for the Lyons. Taylor Wilson registered a 6-2, 6-2 victory at the four spot over Oglensky, while Kruse bounced back from a first set 6-3 defeat to first year Evlin Walsh (Shoreline, Wash.) to post a 6-2 middle set result and a 10-7 win in the final frame in pro-set form to take the match at number six.

First year Asia Hollis (Hamilton, Bermuda) was also a double-winner for Wheaton, combining with sophomore Alissa Ortiz (El Paso, Texas) to outlast the Emerson tandem of Susie-Jane Wilson and Walsh at number two doubles. The match was knotted at 7-7 before the Lyons earned the final point in an 8-6 tie-breaker. Hollis came out on top in singles play as well, dropping just three games in a 6-0, 6-3 win over first year Amaya Briones (Mexico City, Mexico) at fifth singles. 

Wheaton first year Laila Haraj-Sai (Madison, Conn.) gutted out a 7-5 first set win at third singles over McGovern, before settling in for a 6-2 victory in the second set to take the match.

Emerson's only point of the match came at number two singles. Perry dropped the opening  set to Greenlee, 6-3, before coming back to win the second and third sets, 6-3, 6-0.

The Lyons return to action on Saturday, March 30 when they travel to Worcester, Mass. to play NEWMAC foe Clark University at 12:00 p.m., while the Lions head to Cambridge, Mass. on March 22 for a 3:30 p.m. contest with Massachusetts Institute of Technology.