Wellesley Tennis Tops Smith but falls to Vassar in Seven Sisters Finale
NORTHAMPTON, Mass. – Wellesley College tennis opened the day with a 5-0 sweep of host Smith College but fell to Vassar, 4-1, in the de facto championship match of the 2018 Seven Sisters Tennis Championship on Sunday afternoon at the Smith College Indoor Track and Tennis Facility.
Vassar improved to 6-1 on the season while claiming the program's fourth straight Seven Sisters title and 15th overall. Junior Justine Huang (Coto de Caza, Calif.) and first year Lily Chu (Princeton, N.J.) earned All Seven Sisters honors in the runner-up performance for the Blue, who are now 3-1 on the season.
Wellesley 5, Smith 0
The Blue cruised past Smith in Sunday's opener, earning their second 5-0 win of the weekend following Saturday's sweep of Bryn Mawr.
Huang and junior Sojin Ki (Irvine, Calif.) each took 6-0, 6-0 victories in singles. Huang defeated first year Allison Ahern (Minneapolis, Minn.) at No. 1, while Ki downed Smith senior Tess Ostoyich (Bethesda, Md.) at No. 3. Blue first year Lizzy Kong (Mason, Ohio) closed out the singles sweep with a 6-2, 6-0 victory over June Lee at No. 2.
In doubles play, Chu and fellow first year Michelle Buyer (Wilmette, Ill.) picked-up their second win of the weekend, defeating sophomores Joanna Kim (Chicago, Ill.) and Emma Essenmacher (Delran, N.J.), 8-0, at No. 1. Blue sophomore Korina Hernandez (Tampa, Fla.) and first year Abigail Schleichkorn (Pacific Palisades, Calif.) capped the 5-0 win with an 8-1 win at No. 2, topping senior Samantha Peikes (West Hartford, Conn.) and sophomore Kara Van Allen (Kalamazoo, Mich.).
Vassar 4, Wellesley 1
Huang opened singles play against the Brewers with a victory for the Blue, but Vassar would clinch the remaining four matches to take the title for the fourth consecutive year. Huang took down Vassar's Frances Cornwall (Poway, Calif.), 6-0, 6-2, at No. 1. Vassar then went on to take the remaining singles matches, with first year Meghan Rodick (Kapolei, Hawaii) defeating Wellesley sophomore Selina Peng (Taichung, Taiwan), 6-2, 6-0, at No.2 and senior Courtney Geiss (Charleston, S.C.) topping Ki, 6-0, 6-2, at No. 3.
The Brewers added two more victories in doubles play to take the match. At No. 1, sophomore Tara Edwards (Littleton, Colo.) and junior Morgane Flournoy (Grosse Pointe, Mich.) blanked Chu and Buyers, 8-0, while senior Dasha Ivenitsky (South Salem, N.Y.) and first year Sarra Yekta (Las Vegas, Nev.) would roll to an 8-2 victory at No. 2 against Hernandez and Schleichkorn.
Wellesley will travel to Skidmore for a 2:00 PM non-conference match next Saturday, March 3, at 2:00 PM.
2018 All-Seven Sisters Team
Vassar: Courtney Geiss, Tara Edwards/Morgane Flournoy, Dasha
Ivenitsky/Sarra Yekta
Wellesley: Justine Huang, Lily Chu
Mount Holyoke: Catherine Peabody, Clara Wang
Bryn Mawr: Lizzie Siegle
Smith: Allison Ahern
Final Team Standings
Champion: Vassar (4-0)
Runner-Up: Wellesley (3-1)
Third Place: Mount Holyoke (2-2)
Fourth Place: Bryn Mawr (1-3)
Fifth Place: Smith (0-4)