CMS Women's Tennis Wins Tight Battle over Middlebury, Stretches Win Streak to Seven

CLAREMONT, Calif. - The third-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps women's tennis had a tight battle with No. 8 Middlebury in a match that lasted almost five hours, but the Athenas were able to come away with a 7-2 win on Friday afternoon at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center.

Two of the doubles courts went to tiebreakers, and four of the six singles matches went to three sets, but the Athenas were able to win all four three-setters in singles to take the 7-2 win and improve to 12-2 on the year with its seventh win in a row, four of which have come against top 10 teams (Emory, Amherst, Sewanee and Middlebury). Middlebury slips to 5-3 with the close loss, which was played in hot conditions in unseasonably warm weather in the upper 80s. 

Sarah Bahsoun and Sena Selby took the first point of the match at No. 3 doubles, prevailing 8-6 in a tiebreaker. Gabby Lee and Sydney Lee followed with an 8-6 win at No. 2, before Middlebury salvaged the last doubles point in a 7-5 tiebreaker at No. 1. 

Sahana Raman tied the score with a straight-set win at No. 1 singles for Middlebury, but Sydney Lee came right back with a straight set win at No. 2, picking up a 6-4, 6-1 win to give the Athenas back the lead. 

Courts No. 3-6 all went to a third set, and the Athenas would eventually prevail on all four. Nikolina Batoshvili dropped the first set at No. 5 by a 6-2 score, but then came back for a 2-6, 6-4, 6-2 win to give CMS a 4-2 lead. The clinch was then earned by Ella Brissett at No. 4, who bounced back after dropping the second to pick up a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win and give CMS its fifth point. 

CMS tacked on the final two points as well, as Audrey Yoon gutted out a three-setter after a tough first, winning 1-6, 6-3, 7-6. Bahsoun then capped off the match with a quick third set, winnint 7-6, 3-6, 6-1 to make the final score 7-2. 

CMS will be back in action tomorrow when it takes on Williams for a 10 a.m. contest.