HAVERFORD, Pa. - The Haverford College women's tennis team (2-5) was edged by No. 23 Hamilton (5-2) in a Friday matinee played indoors at Alumni Field House, as an almost five-hour epic went the way of the visitors from New York State.
The match started with doubles competition, where the Fords again put up a strong fight. Ellie Esterowitz and Mimi Lavin played exceptionally well and secured a victory in the second doubles match against Hamilton's Shannon Cicero and Hannah Walpole by an 8-4 final. However, Haverford's pairings of Rachael Fitzgerald/Abbey Russano and Abhishree Menon/Summer Williams dropped the first and third doubles matches against Hamilton's duos of Hannah Apsey/Lauren Holtzman and Stephanie Pratt/Claire Cutler, respectively, as the visitors went into singles play up 2-1.
In singles play, the Fords showed their determination and fighting spirit against a formidable Continentals side. Ellie Esterowitz fought hard but ultimately fell short against Lauren Holtzman, losing 6-4, 6-4 as the Continentals went ahead 3-1. Rachael Fitzgerald also put up a strong performance, defeating Shannon Cicero 6-4, 6-2 to secure a crucial tally for the Fords.
Abbey Russano then had a tough match against the #32 nationally-ranked player, Hannah Apsey. Russano took the first set convincingly, but Apsey fought back and won the next two sets, securing a key victory for Hamilton and putting the visitors on brink of clinch.
Mimi Lavin faced Stephanie Pratt in a back-and-forth, exhilarating match that went three sets. Lavin showed incredible resilience and won the match 6-7, 7-6, 6-4, fending off Pratt in two tiebreaks to seal another key Haverford tally.
Sriya Krishnan was defeated at the sixth flight as Hamilton clinched the match with Samantha Rainero's 6-2, 6-2 win, while Summer Williams also played a fantastic match and secured a victory against Hannah Walpole in straight sets 6-3, 6-3 to reflect the 5-4 final scoreline.
Although Haverford faced some tough, narrow losses, the Fords continued to push through and play with heart. The team's strong performance in the singles matches gave them the momentum and confidence they needed to finish the match strong. While the team may have fallen short in the doubles matches, their impressive singles play against a Top 25 opponent showed that they are a force to be reckoned with entering the conference season.
The Fords now return to action on Saturday, March 25, with doubleheader action at home on campus. The Fords open up the conference season with Muhlenberg (11 a.m.) before returning later in the day to face off with Stevens (2:30 p.m.).