MIDDLETOWN, CT. – Officially opening the regular season with a business-as-usual attitude, the Wesleyan women's tennis team welcomed Bowdoin to the Bacon Field House for a 5-2 NESCAC victory that saw the Cardinals sweep doubles play on home turf.

Following their trip to the ITA Indoor National Championships, the Cardinals began their home opener against the Polar Bears on court three with Leila Epstein '26 and Alexandra Burnett '27. The duo kickstarted the first point of the afternoon with a 6-3 win over Candice Ballarin and Bella Hartung. Sarah Youngberg '26 and Lane Durkin '27 make up the top pairing and were the second match to finish, putting away Jamilah Karah and Caroline Stuhlfaut, 6-4. Nailing the final match to clinch the first point, Jackie Soloveychik '27 and Natalia Leroy '28 in the No. 2 pairing went 6-4 over Suzanne Pogorelec and Zoe Sun.

Filling out at No. 1, Soloveychik made quick work ending her first set with Pogorlec without allowing a single point. Pogorelec did not take kindly to the sweep and tailed Soloveychik to a tiebreak in set two, even taking the tiebreak to extra points. Soloveychik, ever ready, finished with a 6-0, 7-6 (8-6) win.

Despite only collecting two matches, the Polar Bears did not fall easily. Leroy at No. 5 was forced to a third set, falling in set two to Hartung, with set three reaching its own tiebreaker. Hartung rallied over Leroy's set one win and took set three to six points, but it was Leroy that pulled away, going 6-1, 2-6, 7-6 (7-4).

While it is very early in the season, Durkin has not lost a singles match, having gone 3-0 during the team trip to Memphis, TN. Standing as the No. 2 for the Cardinals, Durkin defeated Stuhlfaut in a 6-4, 6-3 final to give the Cardinals a two-point lead.

Youngberg's late match at No. 3 was another distance race for the Cardinals as the junior was forced to three sets. Making way to a tiebreak win in set one, Youngberg 11-9 third set was enough to end Karah's comeback attempt at 7-6 (7-3), 5-7, 11-9.

The Cardinals return to action on Sunday, March 9, when they host Colby at 2 p.m.