THE MATCHUP: Mount Holyoke returns to its home court on Saturday, hosting the Chargers of Colby-Sawyer College. This match marks the fifth in the all-time series, dating back to the first game in 1990-91 - an 8-1 MHC victory. The Lyons own the series advantage with a 4-0-0 mark. It is also the first meeting between the two programs since the 2007-08 season, when Mount Holyoke posted a 9-0 win in South Hadley.
THE LYONS: Mount Holyoke (6-7) returns to the courts after a near month-long layoff. The Lyons were last in action on March 1, when they hosted Bates College. Despite wins in the fourth and fifth positions, MHC was unable to overcome a strong effort by the Bobcats, who posted the 7-2 victory. This season, the Lyons have seen solid performances from a number of different spots in the lineup. Leading the way has been senior captain Eman Malik, who currently owns a 12-4 record, including an 11-1 mark from the fifth singles position. Sophomore Margaux Hollochutz is 10-4, with an 8-4 clip from the third position, while junior Sarah Anischik is 9-6 overall, going 8-4 from the fourth flight. In doubles, the second position pair of Holloschutz and senior Maya Sayarath is 7-8 overall and 6-6 in dual meet matches.
THE CHARGERS: Colby-Sawyer (10-4), which plays against Smith on Friday afternoon, earned its second straight North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) East Division title with a 5-0 win over Castleton during the fall semester. Picked as the preseason favorite, the Chargers went undefeated through conference play for the second straight year. Colby-Sawyer will face the winner of the NEAC West Division in the spring with a trip to the NCAA tournament on the line. Leading the way for the Chargers in the fall was senior captain Elizabeth Lincoln, who owns a 10-3 record from the first position. Sophomore Ashlyn Ramsay has a 12-2 mark from second flight singles, while junior Oxana Tkachenko is 12-1, including 11-1 from the fourth position. Doubles has been paced by the duo of Lincoln and Ramsay, who own a perfect 14-0 mark from the first flight.
NEXT UP: The Lyons return to action next Saturday when they travel to Connecticut College for a 10:30am match. Colby-Sawyer travels to Wheaton on April 12th for an 11am tilt.
