Top-Ranked Williams Downs Blue Tennis, 9-0

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. – Williams College handed Wellesley College tennis its first road loss of the season on Sunday afternoon, taking a 9-0 non-conference victory over the Blue. Wellesley is now 4-2 overall and 1-1 in non-conference matches. The win was the first of the fall season for the Ephs, the top ranked team in the nation. 

Williams escaped doubles play with a 3-0 lead, despite a pair of strong performances from the Blue's #1 and #3 Doubles pairings.

After Williams opened the day with an 8-1 victory at #2 Doubles, Wellesley's #1 Doubles team of sophomore Emily Olson (La Jolla, Calif.) and first year Justine Huang (Coto de Caza, Calif.) battled to an 8-5 defeat at the hands of the Ephs' top pairing of senior Maya Hart (Amherst, Mass.) and sophomore Mia Gancayco (Potomac, Md.).

At #3 Doubles, junior Linda Shin (Johns Creek, Ga.) and first year Korina Neveux (Miami, Fla.) rallied from a 5-2 deficit to down Wellesley junior Andjela Stojkovic (Victoria, British Columbia, Canada) and first year Tristan Lorich (New York, N.Y.), 8-6, and give the hosts a 3-0 match lead. 

In singles play, Raventos and Stojkovic went head-to-head in a closely contested match that saw Williams pick up the victory at #1 Singles, 6-2, 6-3. Shin went on to top Huang at #2 Singles, 6-1, 6-3, while Gancayco added a 6-0, 6-3 win over Wellesley junior Carina Chen (Hong Kong) at #3.

Williams sophomore Julia Cancio (Concord, Mass.), Neveux and senior Alex Stone (Short Hills, N.J.) earned the Ephs victories in the remaining matches to complete the sweep.

Both teams will return to the courts next weekend at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Regional Championships. The event will take place Friday-Sunday, September 25-27, at Middlebury College in Middlebury, Vt.