Tennis team goes 3-1 at International Tennis Hall of Fame Classic

Jaskirat Kaur (left) and Annika Chai (right) were 4-0 as Mount Holyoke's No. 1 doubles team as the Lyons played in the International Tennis Hall of Fame Classic on Sept. 14, 2023 in Newport, R.I. (RJB Sports file photo)
Jaskirat Kaur (left) and Annika Chai (right) were 4-0 as Mount Holyoke's No. 1 doubles team as the Lyons played in the International Tennis Hall of Fame Classic on Sept. 14, 2023 in Newport, R.I. (RJB Sports file photo)

NEWPORT, R.I. -- The Mount Holyoke College tennis team saw its first action of the 2023-24 academic year on Thursday afternoon at the International Tennis Hall of Fame Classic, a series of doubles-only mini-matches including five teams on the historic grass courts of the ITHOF and including Roger Williams University, Colby-Sawyer, and Bridgewater State.

The Lyons had a strong showing, going 3-1 as a squad with wins over Salve Regina (2-1), Roger Williams (2-1) and Bridgewater State (3-0) and a 2-1 loss to Colby-Sawyer.

Mount Holyoke's top doubles team of junior captain Annika Chai (London, England) and sophomore Kirat Kaur (Mohali, India) were undefeated for the day, outscoring opponents by a collective count of 32-12.

Sophomore captain Cal Smith (Bridgewater, Mass.) and first-year Rachel Allen (Mary Esther, Fla.) teamed up at No. 2 doubles and were 3-1 for the day, including wins against Salve Regina, Roger Williams and Bridgewater State.

At No. 3 doubles, sophomore duo Kate Vavra (Weston, Mass.) and Kennedy Bagley-Fortner (Montclair, N.J.) notched an 8-4 victory over Yasmine Queen and Sam Bettencourt of Bridgewater State.

The Lyons will host Hartwick College on Saturday at 12pm in their first dual match of the season.

Mount Holyoke 2, Salve Regina 1
1. Annika Chai/Kirat Kaur (MHC) def. Casey Dolan/Sailor Nordstrom (SRU) 8-2
2. Cal Smith/Rachel Allen (MHC) def. Elena Murdock/Stephanie Davis (SRU) 8-3
3. Sadie Rieg/Grayson Scherer (SRU) def. Kate Vavra/Kennedy Bagley-Fortner (MHC) 8-6

Mount Holyoke 2, Roger Williams 1
1. Annika Chai/Kirat Kaur (MHC) def. Gianna Ferraro/Alyssa Calhoon (RWU) 8-5
2. Cal Smith/Rachel Allen (MHC) def. Gracie McCarthy/Liv Santoro (RWU) 8-3
3. Ella Mancini/Izzy Pecora (RWU) def. Kate Vavra/Kennedy Bagley-Fortner (MHC) 8-3

Colby-Sawyer 2, Mount Holyoke 1
1. Annika Chai/Kirat Kaur (MHC) def. Grace Carpenter/Elise Hogan (CSC) 8-3
2. Amelia Campanetta/Maria Espinosa (CSC) def. Cal Smith/Rachel Allen (MHC) 8-7
3. Mary Thomas/Mei Genest (CSC) def. Kate Vavra/Kennedy Bagley-Fortner (MHC) 8-4

Mount Holyoke 3, Bridgewater State 0
1. Annika Chai/Kirat Kaur (MHC) def. Madeline VonRuden/Mackenzie Silveira (BSU) 8-2
2. Cal Smith/Rachel Allen (MHC) def. Allison Carter/Meghan Lotti (BSU) 8-2
3. Kate Vavra/Kennedy Bagley-Fortner (MHC) def. Yasmine Queen/Sam Bettencourt (BSU) 8-4