BRYN MAWR, Pa. – It's been 406 days since the Haverford College athletic department was last in intercollegiate competition. Women's tennis made sure the restart kicked off in grand fashion as the Fords dispatched of Bi-Co neighbor Bryn Mawr with a 9-0 win on the road.
The Fords showed off tremendous depth in their return to courts as six players started off in doubles where Haverford surrendered just one game. Six new players took the courts during the singles portion of the match as Haverford secured the sweep with all straight-set victories.
Natalie Williams and Anne Tobin provided veteran leadership at the top of the doubles lineup with an 8-0 win at No. 1. Sophomore Lisette Pham and first-year Abbey Russano made it two doubles pairings to not drop a game as they won at No. 2 doubles. Another sophomore/first-year combo took No. 3 doubles with Liv Pindzola and Summer Williams winning their match by an 8-1 final.
During singles play, first-years Emily Oh and Annie Barrett allowed just one game each to their opposition. Oh dropped just a single game in the second set to pick up the win at No. 2 during her Haverford debut. Barrett was a 6-1, 6-0 winner in her debut at No. 3 singles. Amalia Axinn was another debut outing for the Fords, winning 6-2, 6-0 in her singles match at No. 6.
First-years filled out the top three spots in the singles lineup. Mimi Lavin debuted at No. 1 singles, taking out her opponent from Bryn Mawr by a 6-3, 6-2 score. Seniors Sarah Evenson and Ananya Prakash put the finishing touches on the sweep. Prakash prevailed in a 7-5 first set battle at No. 5 singles before cruising to a 6-2 win during the second set. Evenson's match was the most tightly contested affair of the afternoon but she showed great grit and determination with a pair of tiebreaker victories. She won her tiebreaks by 7-4 and 7-2 scores. Evenson rallied from down 5-2 during her second set with five straight games to ensure all Haverford's singles victories came in straight sets.
Head coach John Taft was making his debut on Saturday afternoon. With today's victory, he became just the second coach in program history to win his head coaching debut with the Fords. The Fords will look to keep their undefeated season going when they host Muhlenberg next Sunday, May 2 for Senior Day. That match is slated for a 1 p.m. start.