SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - Action at the 2013 NEWITT Tournament kicked off this afternoon and five Mount Holyoke College pairs competed in the First Round of action, which took place on the campues of both MHC and Amherst College. Leading the way was the Lyons 
duos in the second and fourth positions of the B Draw, both of which advanced to the Round of 16.
Mount Holyoke's Maya Sayarath and Margaux Holloschutz earned an 8-3 victory over Springfield's Mel Thulin and Ariana Shemms to open play. Sayarath suffered a 6-4, 6-0 loss to Thulin in singles play, but Holloschutz advanced the pair to the next round with a 6-1, 6-2 victory over Shemms. The Lyons pair will now play on Saturday against Tufts' Becca Kimmel and Catherine Worley.
In the fourth position, Zehra Khan and Whitney Schott powered their way to an 8-3 victory in doubles over Smith's Kelli Cheung and Tessy Lopez. Khan went on to post a 7-5, 6-2 win against Cheung, while Schott defeated Lopez, 6-4, 6-4. The duo moves on to play on Saturday at MHC (9am) against Wesleyan's Grace Smith and Kiley Robbins.
Mount Holyoke's AnnElizabeth Konkel and Eman Malik squared off against Tufts' Alexa Meltzer and Sheila Bowman in the A Draw, falling 8-4. Konkel shouldered a 6-0, 6-1 loss to Meltzer, while Malik fell to Bowman, 6-0, 6-0. The pair moves on to Saturday's consolation and will face Simmons' Maragaret Teague and Meghan Cokely at 12pm on the MHC courts.
Sarah Anischik and Kelsey Brower played thirds for the Lyons in the B draw, falling 8-3 against Trinity's Elizebeth Gerber and Merritt Piro. Gerber then posted a 6-1, 6-2 win over Anischik, while Piro won 6-1, 6-2 over Brower. The duo will now face Brandeis' Francesa DiOrio and Hannah Marion in the consolations, beginning at 12pm on the MHC courts.
Wrapping up the day's action was the fifth duo in the B draw of Mira Murali and Michelle Cai, who were defeated by Brandeis' Roberta Bergstein and Sarita Biswas by an 8-3 margin. Bergstein went on to earn a 6-3, 6-2 victory over Murali, while Biswas downed Cai, 6-1, 6-1. The Lyons pair will now face off against Babson's Sarah Whitaker and Courtney Fischer in the consolations on Saturday at 12pm, also on the MHC courts.
