THE MATCHUP: Mount Holyoke kicks off its 2010 slate versus New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) foe Babson College tomorrow afternoon (1:00) at the Tennis Courts. In 23 previous meetings between the programs, the Beavers own a 14-9 advantage. They downed the Lyons for the fifth time in a row last fall, winning by a score of 8-1.
Match Program

THE LYONS: Mount Holyoke (0-0, 0-0 NEWMAC) begins the 2010 season with high aspirations, as three talented newcomers join a group of nine established veterans. Last year, the Lyons qualified for the NEWMAC Tournament for the sixth straight season, finishing with an overall record of 10-11. Natalie Hsiang and Sarah Moore were named to the NEWMAC All-Conference Second Team after sprinting to a 6-1 second doubles mark in league matches. Now in his 18th season, head coach Aldo Santiago will look to his captains Hsiang and Elise Marifian to provide his squad with leadership both on and off the court. Other returnees include Nahrhee Han, Madeline Loughridge, My-Linh Nguyen, Carly Peltier, Heather Richardson and Kirsten Schneider, who all saw playing time during the 2009-10 campaign.

THE BEAVERS: Babson (2-0, 0-0 NEWMAC) has cruised to a pair of victories in its first two matches of the season. After handing Roger Williams University an 8-1 setback in their opener, the Beavers downed Simmons College 6-3 on Tuesday. In their win over Roger Williams, Sarah Whitaker, Rebecca Stone, Inna Loseva, Monica Mercer and Mikaela Stamas each collected victories at both singles and doubles. Whitaker, Stone and Stamas repeated the feat in Babson's victory over Simmons. For the season, Whitaker and Stone have gone undefeated at the number one doubles slot, while Stamas and Victoria Lorido are 2-0 as the Beavers third doubles tandem. Whitaker, Stone, Loseva and Stamas each own perfect 2-0 marks at the numbers one, two, three and five singles slots, respectively.  

NEXT UP: Both squads are slated to compete in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Championships next weekend. The tournament, which will be hosted by Babson and Wellesley College, is scheduled to begin on Friday and run through Sunday.