Wellesley Edges MIT, 5-3, in NEWMAC Championship
Oct. 27, 2008
By Mount Holyoke College Sports Information
SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - In its fifth consecutive NEWMAC Women's Tennis Championship meeting against top-seed Wellesley College, No. 2 MIT fell to the Blue by a 5-3 margin on Sunday afternoon. The Engineers (8-3) advanced to the title match following a 5-2 victory over No. 3 Wheaton College in the semifinal round.
In the title match, Wellesley quickly established a 2-0 lead as Marie Watanabe and Grace Cheng recorded an 8-3 triumph over Anisa McCree and Melissa Diskin in the No. 2 doubles spot. Shivani Saxena and Jacqueline Shen extended the Blue's advantage by defeating Yi Wang and Karina Pikhart, 8-5. MIT got on the board courtesy of Leslie Hansen and Anastasia Vishnevetsky's 8-4 win over Mohona Siddique and Jen Schwarzkopf in the top slot.
In singles play, Siddique picked up a 6-0, 6-2 victory over Alex Hall at the No. 6 position to put Wellesley in front, 3-1. The Blue raised its margin when Saxena topped Diskin, 6-2, 6-2, but Yang topped Shen, 6-1, 6-3, in the No. 4 slot. In the No. 1 matchup, Hansen downed Watanabe, 6-4, 6-1, to close the gap to 4-3 in favor of Wellesley. The Blue clinched the crown with Schwarzkopf outlasting Vishnevetsky, 6-4, 7-6 (2) in the No. 2 slot.
The Engineers earned victories in two of the three doubles contests to gain an early advantage in their semifinal match with Wheaton. Wang and Pikhart collaborated for an 8-3 decision against Ellen Van Faasen and Mallory Farmer in the No. 3 slot. McCree and Diskin chipped in with an 8-4 win over Allesandra DiOrio and Katherine Knies in the No. 2 contest. The Lyons posted their first point when Sarah Geocaris and Catherine Teague edged out Hansen and Vishnevetsky, 8-6.
Vishnevetsky led off MIT's singles charge with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Teague in the No. 2 spot. Wang downed Van Faasen, 6-2, 6-3, as Hall added a 6-0, 6-3 win over Farmer in the No. 6 position. Wheaton's lone singles win came from DiOrio, who defeated Diskin, 6-3, 6-1, in the No. 3 slot.
NEWMAC Championship: No. 2 MIT vs. No. 1 Wellesley College
Final Team Score: Wellesley 5, MIT 3
Doubles
1. Leslie Hansen/Anastasia Vishnevetsky (M), def. Jen Schwarzkopf/Mohona Siddique (W), 8-4
2. Marie Wattanabe/Grace Cheng (W) def. Anisa McCree/Melissa Diskin (M), 8-3
3. Shivani Saxena/Jacqueline Shen (W) def. Karina Pikhart/Yi Wang (M), 8-5
Singles
1. Leslie Hansen (M) def. Marie Wattanabe (W), 6-4, 6-1
2. Jen Schwarzkopf (W) def. Anastasia Vishnevetsky (M), 6-4, 7-6 (2)
3. Shivani Saxena (W) def. Melissa Diskin (M), 6-2, 6-2
4. Yi Wang (M) def. Jacqueline Shen (W), 6-1, 6-3
5. Meghan Stubblebine (W) vs. Anisa McCree, Halted (6-2, 5-7, 3-1)
6. Mohona Siddique (W) def. Alex Hall, 6-0, 6-2
NEWMAC Semifinal: No. 2 MIT vs. No. 3 Wheaton College
Final Team Score: MIT 5, Wheaton 2
Doubles
1. Catherine Teague/Sarah Geocaris (W) def. Leslie Hansen/Anastasia Vishnevetsky (M), 8-6
2. Anisa McCree/Melissa Diskin (M) def. Allesandra DiOrio/Katherine Knies (W), 8-4
3. Karina Pikhart/Yi Wang (M) def. Ellen Van Faasen/Mallory Farmer (W), 8-3
Singles
1. Leslie Hansen (M) vs. Sarah Geocaris (W), Halted (1-6, 6-6 [0-1])
2. Anastasia Vishnevetsky (M) def. Catherine Teague (W), 6-3, 6-1
3. Allesandra DiOrio (W) def. Melissa Diskin (M), 6-3, 6-1
4. Yi Wang (M) def. Ellen Van Faasen (W), 6-2, 6-3
5. Anisa McCree (M) vs. Katherine Knies (W), Halted (6-3, 6-2)
6. Alex Hall (M) def. Mallory Farmer (W), 6-0, 6-3
