CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – In the first meeting between both teams since 2011, No. 8 MIT defeated No. 24 NYU, 5-2, in a non-conference match on Friday in the J.B. Carr Tennis Bubble.
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 8 MIT 5, No. 24 NYU 2
- Records: No. 8 MIT (1-1 Overall); No. 24 NYU (2-1 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED - DOUBLES:
- Tied at 2-2 in the No. 3 position, Saina Deshpande and Katie Driscoll won four straight games to defeat Norah Staunton and Siona Vallabhaneni.
- MIT then clinched the doubles point in the No. 1 slot. Alaina Kolli and Artemis Pados raced out to a 4-0 lead, but Visnja Gusavac and Sophia Yang won the next two games. Kolli and Pados replied with back-to-back victories to secure the 6-2 decision.
- Carley Chen and Chloe Zeng established a 4-1 advantage, however, Emma Kast and Victoria Wang won four of the next five games to create a 5-5 deadlock. Chen and Zeng won the next game, but Kast and Wang forced the tiebreaker. The duo from NYU carried the momentum into the tiebreaker as they built a 5-2 lead. The Engineers claimed the next three points; however, Kast and Wang went on to post a 7-5 win.
HOW IT HAPPENED - SINGLES:
- Trailing 5-3 to Vallabhaneni in the first set at No. 5 singles, Sophia Yang quickly evened the frame and then forced a tiebreaker which she won, 8-6. Facing a 2-1 deficit in the second set, Yang won the next five games to capture the victory.
- After trading games to start their match in the No. 6 spot, Rayna Li rattled off five consecutive victories to notch a 6-1 result against Aditi Narayan. Narayan jumped out to a 5-1 advantage, but Li tied the second set at 5-5 and then sent it to the tiebreaker which saw her emerge with an 8-6 victory.
- NYU made the score 3-1 after Vera Bondarenko battled Chen for a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win in the No. 4 position. Bondarenko had a 3-1 edge in the first set, but Chen picked up the next two games. Bondarenko countered with a trio of victories to take the set. In the second set, Chen won three consecutive games to post a 6-3 decision. Bondarenko gradually built a 5-2 margin in the third set en route to the 6-3 victory.
- Deshpande clinched the match in the top following a battle with Wang, who is currently ranked No. 13 in the nation. She inched out to a 3-1 lead, but Wang tied the opening set twice, the last at 4-4. Deshpande responded by winning back-to-back games to notch the victory. In the second set, Deshpande jumped out to a 4-1 lead, however, Wang rallied to win the frame, 6-4. Deshpande claimed the first four games of the third set before going on to record a 6-2 victory.
- In the No. 2 slot, Gusavac won the first three games of the opening set en route to a 6-3 victory over Zeng. Gusavac went on to take the second set by a 6-1 margin.
- In a tightly played first set at No. 3 singles that saw three ties, the last when Yang evened the frame at 4-4, Driscoll held off the comeback attempt by winning the next two games. Yang claimed the first game of the second set and maintained a small cushion before pulling away for a 6-3 victory. Using the super tiebreaker to determine the match, Yang took a 3-1 lead, but Driscoll went on a 7-2 run that gave her an 8-5 edge. Yang battled back and eventually went up, 10-9, however, Driscoll won the next two points to go ahead. Yang tied the score at 11, but Driscoll went on to register a 13-11 victory.
UP NEXT:
- Both teams will be back in action on Saturday, February 28.
- MIT will host No. 29 Skidmore College at 2:00 PM.
- NYU will travel to No. 9 Babson College for a 5:00 PM match.
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