MIDDLEBURY, VT. – For the second year in a row, the Wesleyan women's tennis team swept Colby College in the NESCAC Championship quarterfinal, boasting a 4-0 finish on Friday morning as the top-seeded team in the NESCAC.
Despite the regular season finish, the Cardinals were taken to task by the Mules through several hard-fought matches. The Cardinals, ranked fourth in the nation, entered the tournament for the 12
th time in program history and sixth year in a row with an undefeated conference record. The Mules slipped into the tournament with a 3-7 record.
Kendall Smith '29 and
Mariia Kornilova '29 continued their unprecedented doubles success as the freshmen pair No. 3 in a contested battled, defeating Jade Finestone and Ella Novion in a tiebreak that ended 7-6 (7-5). The Cardinals clinched the first win of the morning with help from
Sarah Youngberg '26 and
Lara Afolayanka '29 at No. 2 in a 6-4 finish over Soumya Wijesekera and Kat Lowy.
Sliding in at No. 1as singles play began,
Agnes Guggenheim '29 delivered a crushing 6-4, 6-1 win over Finestone. Reconfigured at No.2, Kornilova was up for the challenge and dropped just four games to Novion, victorious with a 6-4, 6-0 finish.
The match ended with a fourth and final point for the Cardinals at No. 6 as
Lucinda Gatsiounis '28 entered the lineup a rallied a 6-3, 6-2 triumph over Isabella Suk.
The Cardinals will face #4 Amherst on Saturday, May 2, in the NESCAC semifinal beginning at 11 a.m.
