Tennis shuts out Clark to wrap up winning regular season; NEWMACs up next

Cal Smith was 2-0 with wins at third doubles and fourth singles in Mount Holyoke's 9-0 win over Clark University on April 27, 2024. (RJB Sports file photo)

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. -- The Mount Holyoke College tennis team finished the regular season with an 11-7 overall record and a 5-4 mark in NEWMAC play, as the Lyons defeated Clark University 9-0 on Saturday at Smith College's outdoor courts.

The Lyons have sewn up fifth place in the NEWMAC standings and are set to play in the quarterfinals of the six-team NEWMAC tournament on Tuesday. Fifth-seeded Mount Holyoke will play at fourth-seeded Smith starting at 4pm.

A slightly altered lineup for the Lyons didn't impeded their fortunes on Saturday. First-year Rachel Allen (Mary Esther, Fla.) and sophomore Natali Kostadinovic (Pirot, Serbia) played as No. 2 doubles partners for the first time and defeated Smith's Maeve McEnroe and Marielle Kane 8-0. At third doubles, sophomores Cal Smith (Bridgewater, Mass.) and Kate Vavra (Weston, Mass.) paired for the first time and won 8-2 against Winifred Gakidis and Cristi Patel.

First doubles was unchanged for Mount Holyoke, as junior Annika Chai (London, England) and sophomore Kirat Kaur (Chandigarh, India) dispatched Hannah Russo and Olivia Shipley 8-5, sending the Lyons into singles play with a 3-0 lead.

Mount Holyoke had no trouble sweeping singles play. Chai defeated Russo 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1, Kaur defeated Shipley 6-2, 6-1 at No. 2, Allen defeated McEnroe 6-3, 6-1 at No. 3, and Smith beat Kane 6-3, 6-0 at No. 4. Kostadinovic posted a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 6 singles over Varvara Maltseva, rising to 7-2 individually, while Vavra won in straight sets against Emma Allen at No. 5 singles.

Mount Holyoke 9, Clark 0
April 27, 2024 at Smith College (Northampton, Mass.)

Doubles
1. Annika Chai/Kirat Kaur (MHC) def. Hannah Russo/Olivia Shipley (CU) 8-5
2. Rachel Allen/Natali Kostadinovic (MHC) def. Maeve McEnroe/Marielle Kane (CU) 8-0
3. Cal Smith/Kate Vavra (MHC) def. Winifred Gakidis/Cristi Patel 8-2

Singles
1. Chai (MHC) def. Russo (CU) 6-2, 6-1
2. Kaur (MHC) def. Shipley (CU) 6-2, 6-1
3. Allen (MHC) def. McEnroe (CU) 6-3, 6-1
4. Smith (MHC) def. Kane (CU) 6-3, 6-0
5. Vavra (MHC) def. Emma Allen (CU) 6-2, 6-4
6. Kostadinovic (MHC) def. Varvara Maltseva (CU) 6-4, 6-2