ORLANDO, Fla. - The Haverford College women's tennis team (2-0) opened up the 2022 dual match season with a pair of victories at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, taking down North Carolina Wesleyan by a 6-3 final before returning in the afternoon match to power past Baldwin-Wallace by a 9-0 final score.
Against North Carolina Wesleyan, Haverford grabbed a 1-0 lead by default in doubles, before the Battling Bishops got on the board thanks to the team of Kristal Dule and Elisa Mariotti taking down Mimi Lavin and Emily Oh by an 8-4 final. The Fords later took a 2-1 advantage into singles as Rachel Fitzgerald and Anne Tobin edged past Isabelle Gastelumend and Chandler Brice.
In singles play, the Fords proved to be the aggressor, going up 3-1 from the jump as the Battling Bishops did not have a sixth singles player. Emily Oh then posted a tidy 6-0, 6-0 sweep of Miguelina Paiva at the fifth flight to put the Fords on the brink of victory, before Ellie Esterowitz clinched the win over Chandler Brice at the fourth, prevailing by a quick 6-0, 6-1 margin.
Mimi Lavin similarly made quick work of Gastelumend at the third flight, with the top doubles pairing of Dule and Mariotti again finding success in their singles flights to put two tallies into the NC Wesleyan column after the match had already been decided for the Fords. Dule beat Rachel Fitzgerald 6-1, 6-1 and Mariotti got the best of Abbey Russano 6-3, 7-6.
Taking on Baldwin Wallace in the late afternoon match, Haverford got off to a blazing hot start in the Florida sun, with Esterowitz and Williams grabbing an 8-1 decision at the second doubles flight ahead of wins from Annie Barrett and Live Pindzola at the third. Russano and Anne Tobin then ensured a sweep with their 8-5 at the first doubles flight.
Moving into singles, Haverford again looked to be the stronger side against the Yellow Jackets. Annie Barrett breezed past Lizzy Cole (6-1, 6-0) and Pindzola then clinched the match for the Fords in her 6-1, 6-0 rout of Emma Trost.
Williams was a 6-0, 6-1 winner at the fourth flight, while Lavin grabbed the win at the third by a nearly identical 6-0, 6-1 margin. The Yellow Jackets' Ashytn Morris fought Fitzgerald in a back-and-forth contest, but Fitzgerald prevailed in a pro-set tiebreaker to walk away from the battle victorious. Emily Oh also got the best of Gabriela Heideman (6-3, 6-4) to ensure an opening day sweep for Haverford.
With two victories already in hand to start the spring break swing, The Fords now return to action tomorrow, taking on RPI (11:30 a.m.) and Emerson (5:30 p.m.) as action continues in Central Florida. With the USTA national campus serving as a de facto home base for Haverford, Wednesday's action will return to Orlando with matches against Kenyon and Wittenberg.