UDC Women’s Tennis Edged by Chestnut Hill, 5-4
PHILADELPHIA, PA – The University of the District of Columbia women's tennis team was defeated, 5-4 by East Region foe Chestnut Hill College Saturday afternoon at CHC Tennis Courts.
The Firebirds (5-7) earned one doubles victory at No. 2, and they won three singles matches at No. 3, 4, and 6. The Griffins (12-6), ranked No. 4 in the ITA East Region poll, won the match by virtue of two doubles victories at No. 1 and 3, and three singles victories at No. 1, 2 and 5.
Chestnut Hill won the first two completed doubles matches at the No. 3 and 1 flights, respectively, but UDC avoided the doubles sweep when freshman Zoe Mall and senior Peerada Looareesuwan defeated Iman Williams-Mulesa and Louise Charley at No. 2 by a score of 9-7.
The first singles point went to CHC with Laure-Anne Josso defeating Dominika Hadnadova, 6-2, 6-2 at No. 1, but Looareesuwan answered for the Firebirds as she earned a 6-1, 2-6, 7-5 victory over Axe Owens at No. 3 to keep UDC within a point, 3-2.
Again the Griffins pulled in front with a victory by Williams-Mulesa at No. 2 over junior Alena Skobkina, but the Firebirds' Mall came through with a 6-3, 6-4 win at No. 4 and senior Laura Rojas won at No. 6 when Julia Bellon retired in the second set, down 6-3, 1-0.
With the match tied at 4-4, it all came down to the No. 5 singles match between UDC's Laura Dimante and CHC's Louise Charley. Dimante won her first set 6-4, but Charley earned a resounding, comeback victory, 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 to send the Griffins to the 5-4 match win.
The Firebirds return to action on Wednesday, March 30th when they visit cross town rival Bowie State.