HAVERFORD, Pa. - The No. 36 Haverford Women's Tennis team (6-6, 1-2 CC) earned its first Centennial Conference victory at home on Saturday, dispatching the No. 16 team in the Atlantic South Region, Franklin & Marshall (4-7, 3-3 CC) by a 7-2 final at the Marshall Courts. Battling tough conditions as a rain delay pushed the start time of the contest back, Haverford looked poised and calm against a formidable Centennial Conference foe to pick up the important win. 

The first doubles match to finish featured the pairing of Ellie Esterowitz and Abbey Russano as that grouping dispatched MacKenzie Sherman and Jenna Harrison by an 8-4 final. Summer Williams and Mimi Lavin got the best of MacKenzie Sherman and Jenna Harrison (8-4) before the top-flight pairing of Anne Tobin and Rachael Fitzgerald fended off Cassidy Landay and Sammi Perry (8-6) to give the Fords a 3-0 lead entering singles.

Haverford kept up its momentum with two quick singles wins to begin things. Fitzgerald downed Perry in straight sets (6-3, 6-1) and Esterowitz then clinched at No. 4 with her win over Clara March Okuyama (6-0, 6-1). Summer Williams got past Hayley Bidwell with ease at No. 5 (6-0, 6-2). 

Mimi Lavin prevailed in the third-set superbreaker (10-4) to put yet another tally in the Haverford column, before F&M got two points back with the overall match already decided. Landau edged Russano in a superbreaker (6-4, 1-6, 1-0 [10-3]) at the top flight and Mackenzie Sherman took down Annie Barrett in three after a marathon superbreaker went the way of the Diplomats at 14-12. 

Haverford has now logged three consecutive wins over F&M, a streak dating back to 2018. Prior to that win, F&M hat rattled off three straight of their own. The overall series is 27-11 in favor of the Diplomats, but the Fords are 6-4 in the last 10 meetings dating back to 2012. 

Haverford now continues CC play with a home match against Muhlenberg on Wednesday, April 13. First serve is slated for 4 p.m.