FREDERICKSBURG, Va. - The 25th-ranked Haverford College women's tennis team (4-3) fell to 23rd-ranked Mary Washington (6-5) inside the Mary Washington Indoor Tennis Center on Friday afternoon. Despite several hard-fought battles, the Eagles were able to hang on, defeating Haverford 5-4.
Doubles played kicked off the day between the two ranked teams, the Eagles' duo of Emily Beckner and Addison Felts dispatched Summer Williams and Mimi Lavin 8-6, to give the hosts an early 1-0 lead. In an extremely even contest, Haverford's Emily Oh and Rachael Fitzgerald leveled the match at 1-1, after taking down the pair of Jacey Copeland and Riley Smith, 8-7 (8-6 tiebreaker).
In the longest doubles match of the afternoon, the team of Hana Kimmey and Amanda Hagino defeated Abbey Russano and Ellie Esterowitz 8-5, as Mary Washington took a 2-1 lead into singles play.
The sixth flight saw the first singles win of the day for the host Eagles, as Williams was tripped up by Smith 6-1,6-1, to increase Mary Washington's lead to 3-1 overall. At flight one, Hagino snatched her second win of the day, vanquishing Russano 6-2, 6-4, to boost the Eagles' gap over the Scarlet and Black to 4-1.
Lavin put the Fords on the board with a key tally after dispelling Beckner 6-3, 2-6, 6-2, before her teammate Fitzgerald dropped a match to Felts 3-6, 6-3, 6-0 in a three-set battle, giving Mary Washington the clinching fifth point.
Down 5-2, Esterowitz pulled one back for the visitors, defeating Kimmey 6-4, 7-6 (7-2 tiebreaker), as the hosts led 5-3. All eyes were on court five, as Oh battled Linda Dimitroff in a three-set thriller.
After dropping the first set 6-3, Oh came battling back, picking up a second set victory 6-3. In the decisive third set Oh's resilience led her to a 6-4, third set win, as Oh's 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 victory gave the Scarlet and Black their fourth win of the game.
Women's Tennis will continue their Virginia tour Saturday, March 30, as the Fords will take on the 27th-ranked Captains of Christopher Newport in Newport News, Va., at 11 a.m.