WALTHAM, Mass. – Following a two-week hiatus, the No. 8 MIT women's tennis team returned to action by defeating No. 23 Brandeis University, 4-3, in a non-conference match on Friday.
THE BASICS:
- Score: No. 8 MIT 4, No. 23 Brandeis 3
- Records: No. 8 MIT (3-1 Overall); No. 23 Brandeis (5-3 Overall)
HOW IT HAPPENED - DOUBLES:
- Facing a 5-2 deficit, Katie Driscoll and Anastasia Samets won the next two games, but Charlotte Saltz and Huayi Zhang hung on for the 6-4 victory in the No. 3 position.
- In a back-and-forth battle at the top spot, Alaina Kolli and Artemis Pados won three straight games to defeat Milana Sofizade and Marie Reyes, 6-4.
- Trailing Avani Chitale and Chahana Budhbhatti by a 5-2 margin, Carley Chen and Chloe Zeng battled back to tie the match at 5-5. However, Brandeis thwarted the comeback attempt by taking the next two games which resulted in the Judges capturing the doubles point.
HOW IT HAPPENED - SINGLES:
- Reyes defeated Saina Deshpande 6-1 in the first set at No. 1 singles. Deshpande took a 2-1 edge in the second set, but Reyes went on to record a 6-3 victory and gave Brandeis a 2-0 lead in the match.
- Zeng raced out to a 5-1 lead against Budhbhatti in the first set at the No. 2 spot, but Budhbhatti closed the gap to 5-4. However, Zeng responded by winning the next game. In the second set, Zeng turned a 2-1 deficit into a 6-3 victory and notched MIT's first point of the day.
- After trading games to start the opening frame in the No. 3 slot, Driscoll went on to post a 6-2 victory over Chitale. The exchange of games continued in the second set until back-to-back wins gave Driscoll a 4-3 edge. Chitale, however, claimed the next three, registering the come-from-behind victory. In the third set, Driscoll built a 5-3 lead, but Chitale rattled off three straight victories to go in front. Driscoll won the next game and then cruised to a 7-1 victory in the tiebreaker.
- In the No. 4 position, Chen won the first four games en route to a 6-2 decision in the first set against Zhang. In the second set, Zhang jumped out to a 3-0 lead, but Chen battled back to even the frame at 4-4. Zhang countered with a pair of wins to force a third set. Chen replied with a 6-1 victory, giving the Engineers a 3-2 lead.
- Following a back-and-forth start in the No. 6 spot, Saltz generated four consecutive wins to take the first set, 6-2, against Rayna Li. In the second set, Li won the first three games and later held a 4-2 advantage, but Saltz took the next two games. Both players traded games as Saltz forced a tiebreaker, which she won, 7-3.
- Sophia Yang established a 5-0 advantage before topping Sofizade, 6-1, in the first set at No. 5 singles. Yang continued to have the upper hand in the second set as she did not drop a game en route to clinching the match for the Engineers.
UP NEXT:
- MIT will host NEWMAC foe Clark University on Saturday, March 14 at 11:00 AM.
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