By: With a 9-0 win over Beloit on Saturday afternoon, the Lady Blues won two MWC matches in the same season for the first time since at least 1996.
BELOIT, Wis. – The Illinois College women's tennis team split a pair of road matches on Saturday, losing to Lake Forest by a score of 9-0, but coming back in the afternoon with a 9-0 defeat of Beloit. With the win over the Buccaneers, the Lady Blues won two Midwest Conference matches in the same season for the first time since at least 1996. Records prior to that time are incomplete.
In the morning match, Lake Forest took a 3-0 lead after doubles.
Kathryn Ryan and
Sally Kate Hixson put up a good fight in the No. 1 match before falling, 8-6. Ryan also came the closest in singles action, losing to Leeza Bodnar at No. 1, 6-3, 6-4. At No. 6,
Madelyn Deardorff dropped a 7-5, 6-2 decision to Samantha Russell.
The Lady Blues came back strong in the afternoon. IC took all three doubles matches, winning them by scores of 8-4 or better. Moving to singles,
Jovanna Chavez took a point by default after Samantha Kinard was unable to continue at No. 4. Ryan and Hixson each won their matches at Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, by scores of 6-0, 6-0. Deardorff added a 6-1, 6-1 victory at No. 6.
Lena Reed and
Lisa Noggle each needed a third-set tiebreaker, but each won to complete the sweep for IC. At No. 3, Reed was a 6-1, 4-6, 10-6 victor over Hayden Lamphere. At No. 5, Noggle came back for a 2-6, 6-2, 10-4 win over Emma Hahn.
The 9-0 win by Illinois College was the first for the program since Sept. 20, 2014 against Blackburn College.
Illinois College will now travel to Madison, Wis. for the Midwest Conference Championships next weekend at the Nielsen Tennis Center. Action on Oct. 15 begins at 12 p.m. and continues on Oct. 16 beginning at 9:30 a.m.
