LEWISTON, Maine - The Mount Holyoke College tennis team was back in action on Saturday, traveling to Bates College for an afternoon tilt. The Lyons shouldered an 8-1 loss to the Bobcats, who are ranked 37th in Division III. Bates is now 2-2 on the season, while MHC slips to 4-3 overall.

The homestanding Bobcats opened a 2-0 lead early with victories from third and second doubles. In the third flight, Bates' Lauren Hernandez and Sydney Bass bested Lyons seniors Joy Maran and Clara Wang by an 8-0 score. Anna Rozin and Hannah Sweeney then pushed Bates to the two match advantage with an 8-1 win over junior Catherine Peabody and sophomore Anya Gerasimova.

Mount Holyoke closed the gap from the first flight as junior Ching-Ching Huang and first year Annissa Aamoum battled to an 8-6 victory over Isabelle Rovinski and Suzanne Elfman.

As action moved to singles, Bates ramped up its momentum. Rozin pushed the lead to 3-1 behind a 6-0, 6-1 win against Gerasimova at three, while Sweeney defeated Huang at one by a 6-0, 6-3 margin.

Elfman then triumphed over Aamoum from four with a 6-2, 6-0 win, followed by a 6-1, 6-2 decision at two as Bella Stone got the victory over Peabody. At five, Rovinski bested Wang, 6-0, 6-1, while from six, Byrnes earned a 6-1, 6-1 win against Lyons senior Madison Rosen.

Mount Holyoke is now idle until March 11th when it opens a four-match series during Spring Trip action in Florida. The Lyons will face Division II Winona State University in Orlando on the 11th to open play.