An eight-game win streak came to an end for the UMass tennis team on Sunday as it fell 7-0 to Yale in New Haven.
Yale (8-8) was able to take all six singles matches, with some victories coming easier than others. The second and fifth matches both went to three sets.
In the second singles match, UMass (10-3, 1-0 Atlantic 10) freshman and three-time rookie of the week Jodie Lawrence-Taylor took on sophomore Caroline Dunleavy. Lawrence-Taylor was able to take the second set 6-4 after falling in a discouraging first set 2-6. Dunleavy recovered and took the deciding set 6-0.
The fifth singles match saw UMass sophomore Anna Napadiy get off to a blazing start with a 6-0 win in the first set. Senior captain Amy Yang was able to figure her out, though, going on to win 6-3 and 6-4 in the following sets.
Yale took the first two doubles matches with a pair of convincing victories. Samantha Martinelli and Raissa Lou got the best of Janja Kovacevic and Martina Bocchi by a score of 6-3 in the first match while Jessie Gong and Dunleavy prevailed by a score of 6-1 over Napadiy and Lawrence-Taylor.
UMass was able to capture the third doubles match as Ruth Crawford and Ashley Avery were dominant in a 6-2 defeat of Kathy Wang and Caroline Amos.
The Minutewomen will look to bounce back at George Washington on Saturday at 1 p.m., while Yale aims for a fourth straight win in a match at Brown.
Richmond Defeats Georgetown 4-1
The Richmond women’s tennis team captured an important home victory on Sunday, defeating Georgetown 4-1. With the win, the Spiders got above .500 for the first time since March 14.
Richmond (7-6, 2-1 A-10) handled Georgetown (2-12) with easy victories in all three doubles matches. The decorated pairing of Kiana Marshall and Emily Dunbar finished off the sweep with a 6-3 victory over Georgetown’s Sydney Goodson and Risa Nakagawa.
The junior tandem of Lyndell Giffenig and Lea Owens also recorded a 6-3 victory, overcoming Cecilia Lynham and Sofie Moenster. The most dominant victory of the day, however, belonged to Adrienne Haynes and Helene Heiberg, who beat Anna Short and Elena De Santis 6-1.
Georgetown was able to make things more interesting in singles play, as the first and sixth matches went unfinished. The remaining matches were highlighted by a 3-6, 6-1, 6-2 victory for Richmond senior Ana Ramirez over Short, and a 1-6, 6-4, 7-5 barnburner as Owens bested De Santis.
Richmond will look to build on its two-game win streak when it travels to Davidson for a pivotal A-10 matchup this Sunday at 1 p.m. The Hoyas have nearly two weeks before their next chance to right the ship, which comes against Villanova on April 5.
Penn defeats St. John’s
In a battle of powerhouses, the Pennsylvania women’s tennis team made a statement with a dominant 5-0 win against St. John’s on Saturday afternoon. Penn improves to an impressive 11-3 record as St. John’s drops to 9-4.
In the second doubles match, the only one that was finished, Iuliia Bryzgalova and O.J. Singh had their way with Delia Arranz and Oceane Garibal, winning 6-1. Bryzgalova and Singh are undefeated at 11-0 since they were paired.
In singles play, the first and third matches didn’t finish, and Jennifer Richards won by walkover in the sixth match. Senior Marta Kowalska was able to handily beat junior Jessica Livianu, winning 6-2 in each of the first two sets to take the match.
Junior Ashley Zhu defeated the senior Arranz in the fourth singles match 6-1, 6-1, and O.J. Singh picked up her second victory of the day against sophomore Jenelle Downer 6-0, 6-2.
The Quakers are now set for another home match against Princeton on Saturday at 1 p.m. in what should be an intriguing Ivy League matchup. St. John’s will look to get back to its winning ways with a matchup at Seton Hall on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Richard Rodgers can be reached at [email protected].
