SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. – Powered by a sweep in doubles and victory in five of six singles, the Mount Holyoke College tennis team defeated Clark University by an 8-1 margin in New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday at the MHC Field House. With the win, the Lyons improve to 5-4 on the season and 3-3 in conference play, while the Cougars are now 3-8 and 1-4 in the NEWMAC.
The homestanding Lyons came out strong to start doubles as the first flight pairing of junior captain Margaux Holloschutz (Franklin Lakes, N.J./Saddle River Day School) and first year Ishita Tibrewal (Kolkata, India/Modern High School for Girls) posted an 8-1 win over Clark first year Isabelle Long (Bellevue, Wash./Interlake) and sophomore Stephanie Gallant (Charlton, Mass./Shepard Hill).
Senior captain Sarah Anischik (Tolland, Conn./Tolland) paired with sophomore Amy Chen (Hilo, Hawaii/Hilo) in the second flight, defeating junior Kera Snyder (Portland, Maine/South Portland) and senior Sarah Clay (Ossipee, N.H./Kingswood Regional) by an 8-1 margin as well.
Sophomore Alexa Colas (Teaneck, N.J./The Dwight-Englewood School) and classmate Mira Murali (Fall City, Wash./American International School) then posted a straight set 8-0 victory over first year Misa Mai (Sanford, Maine/Sanford) and first year Fiorella Hernandez (Managua, Nicaragua/Saint Stephen's Episcopal) in thirds.
Singles action saw Clark post its lone point in the first flight as Long defeated Holloschutz by a 2-6, 6-2, 10-4 margin. Anischik went on to defeat junior Rebecca Kravetz (Wayland, Mass./Wayland) in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0, while Murali was a 6-0, 6-0 win over Snyder in the third position.
Tibrewal continued the wins for the Lyons with a 6-1, 6-1 decision against Clay at four, Colas downed Mai, 6-0, 6-0 in the fifth and junior Michelle Cai (Hong Kong, China/St. Paul's Co-Educational College) was a winner over Hernandez in the sixth by a 6-0, 6-0 score.
Both teams return to the courts on Tuesday for NEWMAC showdowns. Mount Holyoke hosts Springfield at 5pm, while Clark travels to Smith for a 4pm match.
Photo courtesy of RJB Sports Photography.
