ORLANDO, Fla. – The Haverford College women's tennis team (2-3) split the final full day of its spring break stint in Central Florida, defeating No. 37 Bethel (7-2) by a 4-3 margin at the USTA National Campus in Orlando before falling to Rhodes (8-3) by a 5-2 score in evening action in Lakeland.
Haverford 4, No. 37 Bethel 3
In a break from the usual collegiate format, singles play opened the matchup between the Fords and Royals. Bethel took an early 1-0 lead on court six, as Courtney Nuest bested Caroline Gay 6-3, 6-1. Haverford quickly leveled the match at 1-1 on court three, where Mallika Reddy turned away Claire Keller 6-3, 6-1. Bethel reclaimed the advantage on court five, as Emma Thole defeated Abhishree Menon 6-3, 6-2.
Trailing 2-1, the Fords again knotted the score at 2-2 when Rachael Fitzgerald prevailed in a hard-fought battle on court one, outlasting Lauryn Douglas 6-3, 1-6, 1-0 (10-7 tiebreaker). The Royals edged ahead once more on court four, as Julia Baber narrowly defeated Erika Phanord 6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (tiebreaker). With their backs against the wall, the Scarlet and Black responded again, as Lucy King outlasted Michaella Sullivan 4-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-7) on court two in a match lasting just under two hours.
With the teams locked at 3-3, the coveted doubles point would decide the victor. King and Gay gave Haverford momentum on court three, dispatching Elizabeth Langhus and Thole 6-1. Bethel responded at No. 1 doubles, where Douglas and Sullivan fended off Fitzgerald and Reddy 6-3.
All eyes then turned to court two, where Phanord and Menon clinched both the doubles point and the match, defeating Baber and Keller 6-3 to seal a 4-3 upset victory for the Fords.
Rhodes 5, Haverford 2
Rhodes secured a 5-2 victory over Haverford under the lights at the Beerman Family Tennis Center in Lakeland, clinching the doubles point and winning four singles matches.
Haverford took an early edge in doubles, as King and Gay secured a 6-3 win at No. 3. However, Rhodes responded with a narrow 7-6 (7-3) victory at No. 2, where Lilly Higgins and Zainab Baba edged out Menon and Phanord. The Lynx then sealed the doubles point with a 6-4 win at No. 1, as Gracie Rask and Emma McHale defeated the tandem of Fitzgerald and Reddy.
Rhodes extended its lead in singles, as Violet Taub quickly dispatched Gay 6-2, 6-1 at No. 6 to put the Lynx up 2-0. Haverford responded with a dominant 6-4, 6-2 win from Fitzgerald over Rask at No. 1, cutting the deficit to 2-1. The Lynx stretched their lead to 3-1 after Sofia Rodriguez claimed a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Menon at No. 5.
King kept Haverford in contention with a 6-4, 6-2 victory over McHale at No. 2, but Rhodes ultimately secured the match at No. 4, where Higgins battled back from a set down to defeat Phanord 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-6).
Baba capped off the win for the Lynx at No. 3, prevailing in a hard-fought first set before Reddy retired in the second, giving Baba the victory with the overall match decision already in hand.
Haverford has now concluded its spring trip and will return to action in the Centennial Conference opener on March 29 at Gettysburg. Match time is set for noon.