After a two-week lull in competition, the women’s tennis team came out on fire last Wednesday night, beating the Ashland University Eagles 7–2. Coming off of a tough loss to Case Western Reserve University, the Yeowomen proved resilient in their hard-fought matches, trumping Ashland for the first time since 2007 and improving to a 5–2 overall record.

“We’ve been practicing and lifting as usual the past couple weeks, but it’s always tough to go so long without playing a match,” said NCAC player of the week junior Brenna Sheldon. “It’s a good sign that we came out and played well even after a long break.”

The Yeowomen secured early victories, winning two of the three doubles matches. In the top spot, senior Farah Leclercq and sophomore Grace Porter were closely matched against the Eagles’ Erika Sullivan and Kira Kotova, but powered through to win 8–5. Sheldon and senior Preeya Shah clocked their competitors with an 8–0 victory in the second spot. First-years Ariana Abayomi and Erin Johnson battled it out against the Eagles in the third spot, but came just short in a close 7–9 loss.

During singles play, the Yeowomen continued to excel in a resounding fashion. At No. 1, Leclercq eased by her opponent, with wins of 6–1, 6–3. Sheldon proved that the Eagles were no competition at No. 2, capturing a 6–4 win in the first set and then was up 4–1 in the second before her opponent Kotova had to forfeit.

Porter, who was strong in the doubles match, continued to dominate in the singles fourth spot as she defeated Andrea Ruiz soundly with a 6–0, 6–1 win. As a team, she felt that “everyone came out swinging, and the matches won were won with confidence.”

After a bitter defeat in their doubles match earlier, both Abayomi and Johnson avenged their loss, decisively winning their singles matches 6–1, 6–2 and 6–3, 6–2, respectively.

The Yeowomen have a tough weekend ahead of them as they take on the No. 8 nationally ranked DePauw University Tigers this Friday and then turn around to challenge the No. 5 nationally ranked University of Chicago Phoenixes on Saturday. Despite the stiff competition ahead, the team is determined to continue its winning record.

“If we can play this weekend like we did against Ashland,” Porter said, “I think we’ll be able to hold our own.”