Goucher Women's Tennis Battles Tough Despite 5-4 Setback Against Elizabethtown
ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Elizabethtown College edges Goucher College 5-4 in Landmark Conference women's tennis action on Saturday.
The match was highly competitive that had two doubles matches go to a tiebreaker and the third doubles match decided by one service break. The Blue Jays had the balls bounce their way to take all three doubles matches and then won two singles matches to clinch a hard-fought match on both sides of the court.
"I'm really proud of what we did today despite the loss," said head coach Steve Baum. "The fact that we were able to come back and get four singles matches after going down 0-3 in doubles shows how much depth and talent we have as a whole."
Anais Gill (Cambridge, England/Hills Road Sixth Form College) and Mandile Mpofu (Harare, Zimbabwe/Arundel School) sent the No. 1 doubles match to a tiebreaker before falling, 8-7 (7-5). Haddie Hill (San Antonio, Texas/The Episcopal School of Texas) and Tes DeJaeger (Norwalk, Conn./Brien McMahon) had their match at No. 2 doubles decided by one service break, 8-6 while Ali Gorson-Morrow (Broomall, Pa./Barrack Hebrew Academy) and Ali Tomasevich (Harleysville, Pa./Souderton) did what Gill and Mpofu accomplished by sending the match to a tiebreaker before dropping an 8-7 (9-7) match at No. 3 doubles.
With Elizabethtown holding a 3-0 lead after doubles, the Blue Jays secured the team win after Hill lost at No. 3 singles 6-3, 6-3 and Mpofu dropped a 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 decision at No. 2 singles.
Despite being down 5-0, the Gophers finished strong and won the final four matches to close the gap in the final score to 5-4.
Gill started the run at No. 1 singles despite losing the first set tiebreaker, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-3. Kinoshita won 6-1, 2-6, 10-7 at No. 6 singles, DeJaeger took a third set match at No. 4 singles, 6-3, 2-6, 10-3 and Katie Marzerka (Wolfeboro, N.H./Kingswood Regional) won at No. 5 singles, 7-5, 6-0.
"We will continue to work and grow as we fight for a spot in the playoffs at the end of the season," said Baum.
Goucher returns to action at Moravian College on Sunday. Match time is 1 p.m.
Doubles
1. (EC) Leana Riehl/Kailey Caroland defeats (GC) Anais Gill/Mandile Mpofu, 8-7 (7-5)
2. (EC) Megan Chemidlin/Amber Burd defeats (GC) Haddie Hill/Tes DeJaeger, 8-6
3. (EC) Maddy Binder/Sarah Donner defeats (GC) Ali Gorson-Morrow/Ali Tomasevich, 8-7 (9-7)
Singles
1. (GC) Anais Gill defeats (EC) Lenea Riehl, 6-7 (2-7), 6-3, 6-3
2. (EC) Kailey Caroland defeats (GC) Mandile Mpofu, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
3. (EC) Meghan Chemidlin defeats (GC) Haddie Hill, 6-3, 6-3
4. (GC) Tes DeJaeger defeats (EC) Amber Burd, 6-3, 2-6, 10-3
5. (GC) Katie Marzerka defeats (EC) Maddy Binder, 7-5, 6-0
6. (GC) Kyoko Kinoshita defeats (EC) Sarah Donner, 6-1, 2-6, 10-7