Women's Tennis Edged by Dickinson, 5-4

Greta Koch

Posted: Apr 16, 2016

HAVERFORD, Pa. – The Haverford College women's tennis team was edged out by a 5-4 score against Dickinson on Saturday. With the team score deadlocked at four-all and the final match on court in the third set, it was the Red Devils (7-3, 4-2 CC) who emerged from that final match to claim the win over the Fords (6-7, 3-4 CC). Dickinson came into Saturday's match as the No. 18 team in the latest ITA Mid-Atlantic rankings.

Haverford grabbed the early advantage with two of the three doubles victories and nearly came away with a full sweep. Greta Koch and Courtney Ahmed doubled up their opponents, 8-4, for Haverford's first point of the afternoon. Koch and Ahmed are now 2-1 together in doubles action.

The Fords needed an extra game to claim the win at No. 1 doubles. Robyn Himelstein and Abby Payson found themselves tied at seven-all before the Fords' top pairing won the final two games to seal a 9-7 victory. The Fords' top duo is now 5-3 when paired together in doubles. The No. 3 doubles match was tied at eight-all before Dickinson claimed the tiebreak to salvage an early doubles point.

Dickinson tied the match with a win at No. 5 singles, but it was a quick moving match at No. 1 singles that allowed Haverford to reclaim its lead. Himelstein bounced back from a 6-4 first set defeat and allowed just five games in total over the final two sets for her team-leading 11th win of the season.

Koch put the Fords on the brink of victory when she clinched her match at No. 2 singles. After winning a tiebreak in the opening set, the Fords' sophomore did not allow her opponent another game. Koch's win was her seventh of the season. Nevertheless, the Red Devils came back and tied the match with wins at Nos. 4 and 6 singles.

Locked in a tight match at No. 3 singles, Payson held the early advantage with a 6-4 victory during her first set. However, Dickinson's Madison Parks forced the decisive third set with a 6-3 win the second. Parks then closed out the match and team result with another 6-3 set in her favor.

Women's tennis will next head back on the road for two midweek matches. Up first will be a trip to No. 40 Washington College on Wednesday, April 20. That following Wednesday will be the team's final road trip of the regular season as the Fords head to Swarthmore before closing out the home slate against Gettysburg.