MIDDLETOWN, CT. – In another stellar performance on home court, the Wesleyan women's tennis team ran a 7-0 underclassmen led campaign against No. 20 Tufts University on Saturday morning as the team wins the sixth match in a row, improving to 10-2 on the season from the John Wood Memorial Courts.
Just as the team has rallied to a six-match win streak, so have the Cardinals' No. 2 and No. 3 doubles pairings. Clinching the first point of the morning,
Kendall Smith '29 and
Mariia Kornilova '29 defeated Stephaie Woodbury and Claudia Grove 6-1 while
Lara Afolayanka '29 and
Agnes Guggenheim '29 clocked a 6-3 final over Ellie Gershaw and Ryan Wuhrman.
Sarah Youngberg's '26 return to the lineup placed her with
Lucinda Gatsiounis '28 as the No. 1 pairing, the duo putting away Rachel Cranley and Lucy Mitchell 7-6.
Youngberg, slotted at No. 5 in her return outing, was the first to close out a match win, defeating Athena Li 6-2, 6-2. At No. 2, Afolayanka dropped just three games to Cranley, picking up the 6-2, 6-1 victory.
At No. 3, Kornilova took Woodbury to a 6-3, 6-3 finish, clinching the match for the Cardinals while the other matches played out. Guggenheim, in the absence of
Leila Epstein, debuted in the No. 1 spot and finished Mitchell in a stunning 7-5, 6-3 final.
Forced to a third set tiebreak,
Natalia Leroy '28 defeated Gershaw in set one but unfortunately could not rally to a second-set win. Facing a third set, Leroy ran a 10-4 tiebreak for the 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (10-4) match win. The seventh and final point went to Gatiounis at No. 6, clearing Grove with a 6-3, 6-4 tally.
The Cardinals return to action on Saturday, April 11, when they travel to Colby for a 10 a.m. start.
