#17 Garnet Stay Hot, Down Fords
HAVERFORD, Pa. -- Sonya Reynolds '07, Sara Sargent '07, Rachel Wallwork '10, Marissa Matthews '07 won two matches apiece as 17th-ranked Swarthmore defeated hometown Haverford 8-1 in Centennial women's tennis action Wednesday afternoon.
In the most recent FILA/ITA Collegiate Tennis rankings released on Monday, Swarthmore slipped three spots to 17th in the country and maintained their position as the sixth-ranked team in the Atlantic South region.
The Garnet (8-4 overall, 6-1 CC) led off the afternoon with an easy win at No. 2 doubles as Wallwork and Matthews won their third straight match, combining for an 8-1 decision over Haverford's Sarah Loeffler and Karen Lavi. Swarthmore's All-America duo, Reynolds and Sargent, followed suit with an 8-1 win at No.1 over Alex Glickman and Elton. Reynolds and Sargent, currently ranked sixth in the Atlantic South region, are now 12-6 on the season.
Reynolds, the fourth-ranked singles player in the region, grinded past Glickman at No. 1 singles 7-6 (7-1), 6-3 for her third straight win and 15th of the season. Wallwork, now ranked a career-best 16th in the region, disposed of Lavi in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 2 while Matthews cruised past Loeffler at No. 3 by a score of 6-0, 6-3. Sargent needed little time to defeat Haverford's Jaclyn Porter, winning 6-3, 6-0 at No. 4.
A pair of Garnet freshman, Rebecca Committo and Kearney Bangs, completed the rousing Swarthmore victory with wins at No. 5 and No. 6 singles, respectively. Committo won her fourth consecutive match, defeating Fumiko Shogase 6-1, 6-2 while Bangs moved to a perfect 3-0 with a gritty 4-6, 6-0, 1-0 (11-9) win over Elton
The Garnet continue their quest for a third straight Conference championship with two Centennial matches this weekend. Swarthmore will first host 23rd-ranked College of New Jersey on Friday, April 20 at 3:30 p.m. before traveling to Franklin & Marshall on Saturday and onto McDaniel on Sunday.