CHESTERTOWN, Md. – The Haverford College women's tennis team set a new program record with its 10th straight Centennial Conference regular season victory dating back to the last spring on Wednesday night with a 6-3 road win at Washington College. The Fords (7-4, 7-0) secured their seventh straight win this season by coming up big during the crucial points as they were faced with a stern test from the host Shorewomen.
The Fords, ranked No. 13 as a team in the Atlantic South Region, got off to a strong start by winning two of the three doubles matches. Renata DiDonato and Mima Khazanov had the strongest showing in doubles as they posted an 8-2 victory at third doubles. That pairing is now 3-0 together in Centennial Conference play this spring.
Haverford's No. 2 pairing of Ananya Prakash and Natalie Williams secured the first team point for the visitors after turning the tide swiftly in its favor midway through that match. Prakash and Williams turned a 5-4 score into an eventual 8-4 victory and are now 5-1 in conference doubles play. Washington College salvaged its only point of doubles by winning the closest of the first three matches as the Shorewomen's No. 1 team broke Emily Shutman and Clara Farrehi's three-match winning streak during a hard-fought 8-5 match.
Singles was a tight affair throughout as both teams won three first sets. However, Ananya Prakash gave the Fords some breathing room as she moved up to No. 4 in the lineup and won a 6-0, 6-2 match. Prakash has now won three straight singles matches and improved to 5-1 in conference play with her most recent victory.
Washington College answered that team point with a 6-4, 6-0 victory at No. 2 singles, but Sarah Evenson stepped into the lineup at No. 6 and maintained Haverford's advantage. Evenson recorded her fourth straight singles win, making her 3-0 in conference play as she was a 6-4, 6-2 winner. Nevertheless, the Shorewomen again answered right back with a 6-4, 6-2 victory at No. 5 singles.
Turning to the captains for the final two matches, Clara Farrehi clinched the team win for the Fords. Farrehi was down 5-4 during her opening set before rallying back with three straight games to win by a 7-5 score. With momentum on her side, the Fords' junior doubled up her opponent during the second set, 6-3, and kept her perfect Centennial Conference record alive at 6-0 in CC singles. Farrehi now has seven wins on the year, six in a row of which have come during her current conference winning streak.
At the top of the lineup, Emily Shutman found herself down a set after falling 6-3 in the first. As was a theme for the Fords all night, she came back with a 6-4 win during the second. Playing a complete third set as that match was headed to its decisive conclusion before Farrehi locked up the team score, Shutman still breezed to victory in the third by a 6-2 score. Shutman has now won three straight matches in singles and has five singles victories in total this spring.
Women's tennis will now prepare for a rematch of last year's Centennial Conference Championship as Haverford travels to No. 23 Johns Hopkins this Saturday. First serves in that match are set for 3 p.m. The Fords and Blue Jays are the only two remaining undefeated teams in Centennial Conference play through the first seven matches.