Recap courtesy of Mount Holyoke College
SOUTH HADLEY, MA - Tufts University got off to a fast start and held strong in the later matches enroute to a 6-3 victory over Mount Holyoke College in action at the MHC Courts on Saturday afternoon.
With the win, the #26 Jumbos move to 6-4, having also defeated William Smith (5-4) in the earlier match, while the #27 Lyons slip to 4-10 overall.
Tufts grabbed a 4-0 lead after the first round of action on Saturday, led by a hard-fought effort at the sixth position by first year Chista Irani, who rallied against MHC senior Annie Wong for wins in the third and fourth games. The final margin was 11-5, 10-12, 11-7, 13-11.
The fourth position match also saw a strong effort as MHC first year Lessly Portillo opened with an 11-6 win. Despite the momentum, Jumbos sophomore Claudia Udolf battled back, sweeping the final games for a 3-1 (6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7) win.
In the odd matches, first year Isabella Libassi got the better of MHC sophomore Kirina Gair-MacMichael, rallying from an opening game loss to sweep three for the 3-1 (4-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-0) victory at nine.
Mount Holyoke grabbed its first point of the match at the top of the ladder as sophomore Brandy Williamson posted a 3-0 (11-5, 11-4, 11-8) win against Tufts senior Paget Stanco.
Sophomore Emily Chang picked up the next Lyons point as she battled tooth and nail against first year Sinclair Meggitt at five. After shouldering the loss in the opening game, Chang stormed back for a second frame victory. The two traded wins as Meggitt won the third and Chang grabbed the win in four to set up the deciding game. It was Chang who prevailed, gutting out an 11-6 win for the 3-2 victory (8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6).
The last match of the afternoon came at the seventh position as MHC senior Rose Minichiello squared-off against Tufts sophomore Gabi Salomon. It would be Salomon with the opening win, but Minichiello responded to go up 2-1 after three. The fourth game saw Salomon battle back, but Minichiello held her off in the deciding frame with an 11-8 win. The final line score of the match was 7-11, 11-5, 11-8, 5-11, 11-8.
Mount Holyoke is back in action on Wednesday when it hosts Connecticut College at 7pm. Tufts is back on the court on on Wednesday versus Wellesley at MIT (6 pm).
#
