SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. -- A win at first doubles by junior Annika Chai and sophomore Kirat Kaur highlighted the Mount Holyoke tennis team's 7-0 loss to Bates College on Saturday at the MHC Indoor Tennis Courts.

By mutual agreement, the teams played under Division I/II scoring rules, wherein the team that wins two out of three doubles matches gets one team point. Doubles matches were played as one set to 6, and singles were played as best 2 out of 3 sets.

Chai (London, England) and Kaur (Chandigarh, India) teamed up to defeat Bates' Lizzie Frekko and Iris Westmoreland 6-2 at No. 1 doubles, giving the Lyons an early edge towards winning the team doubles point. However Bates prevailed by 6-4 scores at both second and third doubles to claim the point. Bella Saul and Julia Anderson edged Mount Holyoke sophomore Cal Smith (Bridgewater, Mass.) and first-year Rachel Allen (Mary Esther, Fla.) 6-4, and Liv Gidlow and Grace Lafountain edged Mount Holyoke sophomores Kate Vavra (Weston, Mass.) and Kennedy Bagley-Fortner (Montclair, N.J.).

Bates (2-2) swept singles play, but not before being pushed to second set tiebreakers at both No. 1 singles by Chai and No. 3 singles by Allen.

The Lyons (3-2) return to action next Saturday, March 9 at home against Western New England University, starting at 10am.

Bates 7, Mount Holyoke 0
March 2, 2024 at MHC Indoor Courts

Doubles
1. Annika Chai/Kirat Kaur (MHC) def. Lizzie Frekko/Iris Westmoreland (B) 6-2
2. Bella Saul/Julia Anderson (B) def. Cal Smith/Rachel Allen (MHC) 6-4
3. Liv Gidlow/Grace Lafountain (B) def. Kate Vavra/Kennedy Bagley-Fortner 6-4

Singles
1. Anderson (B) def. Chai (MHC) 6-3, 7-6(3)
2. Westmoreland (B) def. Kaur (MHC) 6-4, 6-1
3. Saul (B) def. Allen (MHC) 6-2, 7-6(7)
4. Frekko (B) def. Smith (MHC) 6-2, 6-1
5. Ava Lyon (B) def. Vavra (MHC) 6-0, 6-0
6. Ava Steinberger (B) def. Bagley-Fortner (MHC) 6-1, 6-1