Worcester, Mass. – In a match they needed to win to keep their postseason hopes alive, Clark University honored their four outgoing seniors with a thrilling 6-3 win over Smith College in a marathon of a match in New England Women's And Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) women's tennis action on Tuesday.
The win for the Scarlet and White bumps their overall record to 6-7 but more importantly they improve to 2-5 in league contests, keeping open the chance of advancing to the opening round of the NEWMAC Tournament which starts on Wednesday, October 21.
Doubles action went in the Cougars' favor in all three matches beginning with Isabelle Long (Bellevue, Wash.) and Emily Shuman (Needham, Mass.) posting an 8-3 win over Noa Dubin and Joanne Kim at No. 1.
The momentum kept going in Clark's direction as the duo of Phoebe Hughes (Parkland, Fla.) and Adrien Horowitz (Arvada, Colo.) made their way past Margaret Anne Smith and Morgan Barney, 8-5 at No. 2.
After closing out doubles with Rebecca Kravetz (Wayland, Mass.) and Kera Snyder (Portland, Maine) topping Janan Fugel and Aninna Van Riper 8-4 at No. 3, things looked to be easily in the Scarlet and White's favor.
Things changed dramatically in singles action as Margaret Ann Smith collected a straight set, 6-2, 6-2 win over Shuman at No. 2 to get the Pioneers on the board.
Fugel kept the good vibes going for the visitors as she recorded a 6-4, 6-2 win over Hughes at No. 3, but Long swung things back around with her three set win over Dubin at No. 1.
Things tightened up even more when Van Riper edged out Kravetz in a tiebreaker at No. 6, 6-4, 7-6 (8-6).
Snyder, however, clinched the match for the hosts when she outlasted Barney, 6-2, 2-6, 6-2 at No.4 and then Horowitz added another win with her 7-6, 2-6, 6-4 triumph at No. 5 over Kim.
Clark will play its final regular season contest on Saturday on the road at Wheaton. First serve is slated for 1:00 p.m.
