NORTON, Mass. (Oct. 19, 2011) – The fifth-seeded Mount Holyoke College tennis team fell 5-1 to fourth-seeded Wheaton College in the Quarterfinal Round of the NEWMAC Tournament this afternoon at Beard Field House. Sophomore Kelsey Brower and senior Heather Richardson led the Lyons with an 8-3 triumph at number three doubles.

Mount Holyoke was competing in the postseason for the eighth straight season. The Lyons closed out the fall portion of their 2011-12 season with an overall record of 4-7 and a league mark of 3-4.

Wheaton (8-3, 4-3 NEWMAC) was paced by sophomore Lyndsay Cooke, first year Alexandra Marlowe and senior Allesandra DiOrio, who each prevailed at both singles and doubles.

With their win, the two-time reigning champions punched their ticket to the NEWMAC Semifinals, where they will face off against top-seeded Wellesley College on Saturday at 11:00 a.m. On the other side of the bracket, second-seeded MIT will take on third-seeded Babson College at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both Semifinals, as well as Sunday's Championship, will take place at Babson.

Brower and Richardson capped off their outstanding fall with a convincing 8-3 victory at number three doubles. It was their fourth straight win and fifth in their last six outings. They will enter the spring with an overall record of 8-3.

Wheaton prevailed 9-7 in the remaining two doubles matches to gain control. Cooke and Marlowe edged junior Nahrhee Han and sophomore AnnElizabeth Konkel in the number one contest. Meanwhile, DiOrio and sophomore Sarah Crom outlasted sophomore Maya Sayarath and senior Sarah Moore in the number two tilt.

From there, it was all Wheaton. The hosts closed things out with three singles victories. Cooke, Marlowe and DiOrio each prevailed in straight sets at the top of the lineup.

The remaining matches all went unfinished.

Photos by Leila Quinn '11