FREDERICKSBURG, VA (March 17, 2024) -- In an intense women's tennis showdown between two highly-ranked teams, No. 20 Tufts University managed to edge past No. 18 Kenyon College with a thrilling 5-4 victory on Sunday, hosted at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, VA.
The match commenced with a series of fiercely contested doubles matches. Tufts' duo of Natalie Hu and Stephanie Woodbury displayed remarkable synergy, clinching a vital victory against Kenyon's Shadia Amado Aguad and Eleni Dakos with a scoreline of 8-6.
However, Kenyon (3-5) swiftly retaliated as their formidable pair of Eleni Lazaridou and Allaire Berl secured a hard-fought win against Tufts' Zoe Kava and Rebecca Lim, sealing the set with an 8-7 (7-3) tiebreak. The third doubles match saw Kenyon's Lalasa Nagireddy and Ana Brand showcasing their skills, triumphing over Tufts' Sophie Wax and Steffy Jullian with a score of 8-5.
As the competition transitioned to singles play, Tufts showcased resilience and determination. Lucy Mitchell from Tufts displayed remarkable composure, overcoming Kenyon's Eleni Dakos with a straight-sets victory of 7-5, 6-3. The momentum continued for Tufts (1-3) as Rebecca Lim emerged victorious in a closely contested battle against Kenyon's Allaire Berl, clinching the win in a tiebreak with a score of 6-0, 7-6 (8-6).
However, Kenyon fought back fiercely, with Eleni Lazaridou securing a crucial win against Tufts' Zoe Kava with a scoreline of 7-5, 7-5. Tufts' Natalie Hu showcased her resilience in a grueling match against Kenyon's Ana Brand, eventually prevailing with a score of 6-3, 1-6, 6-1.
With the match balanced on a knife-edge, it all came down to the final singles match at No. 6 between Tufts' Steffy Jullian and Kenyon's Lalasa Nagireddy. In a nail-biting encounter, Jullian displayed nerves of steel, outlasting Nagireddy in a fiercely contested three-set battle, ultimately securing victory for Tufts with a scoreline of 6-4, 5-7, 7-5.
The Jumbos will be back in action on Monday, battling No. 24 Mary Washington at 4 p.m. in more Spring Break action.
--JUMBOS--
