Goucher Women's Tennis Celebrates Career Of Mandile Mpofu; Senior Wins Clinching Match Against Lebanon Valley
BALTIMORE, Md. – The day belonged to one person and on World National Smile Day she soaked up every minute of one of her final collegiate matches. Mandile Mpofu (Harare, Zimbabwe/Arundel School) will graduate in December and on her senior day she was the clinching match in an 8-1 win against Lebanon Valley College in non-conference women's tennis action on Friday.
Mpofu, the current Landmark Conference Women's Tennis Athlete Of The Week, teamed up with Anais Gill (Cambridge, England/Hills Road Sixth Form College) like she has for the last two years and won 8-2 at No. 1 doubles and then she dispensed of her No. 2 singles opponent 6-0, 6-1 to improve to 7-0 in singles action in the fall.
For her career, Mpofu is 22-19 in singles matches and 13-18 in dual matches, but has posted a 18-6 overall mark and a 11-6 record in dual matches in her last two seasons. The senior is 16-17 overall in doubles play in her career including 13-7 overall and 12-7 with Gill in the last two years.
Ali Gorson-Morrow (Broomall, Pa./Barrack Hebrew School) and Ceri McCaffrey (Ardsley, N.Y./Ardsley) won 8-3 at No. 2 doubles and Katie Marzerka (Wolfeboro, N.H./Kingswood Regional) and Kyoko Kinoshita (Tokyo, Japan/Tilton School [N.H.]) took care of business at No. 3 doubles, 8-0.
Marzerka (6-1, 6-2), Kinonshita (6-0, 6-0) and Gorson-Morrow (6-1, 6-4) took care of the bottom half of the lineup with straight-set victories.
McCaffrey lost her first set of her collegiate career, but just like Mpofu has not been defeated in the fall thanks to a 3-6, 6-2, 10-3 win.
Gill was the only Gopher not to prevail on Friday, falling 7-6 (6-4), 6-1.
Mpofu will wrap up her collegiate career when her Goucher Gophers hit the court on last time in the fall on Saturday at home against York (Pa.). Match time is 1 p.m.
Singles competition
1. Nicole Honrade (LVCW) def. Anais Gill (GOUCHERW) 7-6 (6-4), 6-1
2. Mandile Mpofu (GOUCHERW) def. Madison Poladian (LVCW) 6-0, 6-1
3. Ceri McCaffrey (GOUCHERW) def. Emily Wilczek (LVCW) 3-6, 6-2, 10-3
4. Katie Marzerka (GOUCHERW) def. Zoe Birch (LVCW) 6-1, 6-2
5. Kyoko Kinoshita (GOUCHERW) def. Samantha Nye (LVCW) 6-0, 6-0
6. Ali Gorson-Morrow (GOUCHERW) def. Leah Wingert (LVCW) 6-1, 6-4
Doubles competition
1. Anais Gill/Mandile Mpofu (GOUCHERW) def. Nicole Honrade/Madison Poladian (LVCW) 8-2
2. Ali Gorson-Morrow/Ceri McCaffrey (GOUCHERW) def. Emily Wilczek/Zoe Birch (LVCW) 8-3
3. Katie Marzerka/Kyoko Kinoshita (GOUCHERW) def. Leah Wingert/Samantha Nye (LVCW) 8-0
