Saint Mary's started its season off with a .500 performance in Orlando over spring break.In the season opener for both Franklin & Marshall and Saint Mary's, the Belles claimed victories in both the No. 1 doubles and No. 3 singles spots before losing a 7-2 match. In the singles match, Belles sophomore Mary E. Campbell defeated Erica Wood 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. Saint Mary's also gained a point with senior Kelly McDavitt and freshman Camille Gebert's 9-7 win over Katie Gaskins and Barbara Bee.Wisconsin-LaCrosse handed the Belles their second straight loss to open the season with another 7-2 match March 12. Wisconsin-LaCrosse swept Saint Mary's in doubles play, but Gebert added a win with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 victory over Rachel Benn at No. 2 singles. Freshman Lisa Rubino defeated Erin Fekete 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 at the No. 4 spot.Later in the day, the Belles handily claimed their first win of the season with an 8-1 beating of Haverford. Saint Mary's took an early lead, winning five of the six singles matches - four of which came in straight sets. The Belles swept doubles action and sealed their victory by taking all three doubles positions with 8-2 victories. Division II University of Puerto Rico handed Saint Mary's its third loss with an 8-1 decision. Puerto Rico swept the Belles in doubles play, but junior Cassie Quaglia gained the match's lone point with a 0-6, 7-6 (7-5), 10-8 win over Juliana Pollock.The Belles' second victory was a 6-3 win over Hamilton. Quaglia continued her dominant play with a win over Beth McDonald in straight sets (6-3, 6-1). Saint Mary's went on to win four of the other five singles matches, but won only one of the three doubles matches.But the Belles success in doubles play proved to be the difference in a 5-4 victory over Bentley March 15. Gebert and McDavitt played well, winning in both their singles and doubles matches. Saint Mary's split the singles matches and took two of the three doubles matches to earn them the close win.The Belles continued their aggressive play with an assertive 9-0 sweep over Drew a day later. Saint Mary's came into the competition focused and was able to improve its record to 4-3 with the flawless performance.The Belles' winning streak ended with a 7-2 loss to Skidmore later in the day, leaving them at 4-4 on their spring trip in Orlando. Saint Mary's lost five out of the first six singles matches until senior Grace Gordon defeated Kyra Travis with a 7-6, 3-6, 10-8 decision. Kelly McDavitt and Camille Gebert continued to show their excellent chemistry with yet another doubles win over Danielle Fancher and Kate Hugo, 8-2.
By Lorenzo Reyeslreyes@nd.edu
Belles start season with .500 recordSaint Mary's had a busy spring break with eight competitions, finishing up with a 4-4 record. On Mar. 11th, Franklin & Marshall took the competition over the Belles 7-2 in Orlando, FL. In the season opener for both schools, the Belles claimed victory in both the No. 1 doubles and No. 3 singles spots. In the singles match, sophomore Mary E. Campbell def. Erica Wood 3-6, 6-2, 6-0. Saint Mary's also gained a point with Kelly McDavitt, a senior, and freshman Camille Gebert's 9-7 win over Katie Gaskins and Barbara Bee.Wisconsin-LaCrosse handed the Belles their second straight loss with another 7-2 match on March 12 in Orlando. Wisconsin-LaCrosse swept Saint Mary's in doubles play. However, Gebert followed up her doubles win with a 7-6 (7-4), 6-2 victory over Rachel Benn at No. 2 singles. Freshman Lisa Rubino defeated Erin Fekete 4-6, 6-3, 6-3, at the No. 4 spot.Later on in the day, the Belles handedly claimed their first win of the season with an 8-1 beating over Haverford. Saint Mary's took an early lead winning five of the six singles matches - four of which came in straight sets. The Belles swept doubles action and sealed their victory by taking all three doubles positions with 8-2 victories. Division II University of Puerto Rico handed Saint Mary's its third loss, with an 8-1 decision in Orlando. The University of Puerto Rico swept the Belles in doubles play, but junior Cassie Quaglia gained the match's lone point with a 0-6, 7-6 (7-5), 1-0 (10-8) win over Juliana Pollock.The Belles took their second victory 6-3 over Hamilton. Quaglia continued her dominant play with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Beth McDonald in straight sets. Saint Mary's went on to win four of the other five singles matches, and took a win in one of the three doubles matches.The Belles success in doubles play proved to be the difference in a 5-4 victory over Bentley on March 15th. Gebert and McDavitt played extremely well, winning in both their singles and doubles matches. Saint Mary's split the singles matches, and took two of the three doubles matches to earn them the close win.The Belles continued their aggressive play with an assertive 9-0 sweep over Drew on March 16th. Saint Mary's came into the competition focused and was able to improve its record to 4-3 with its flawless performance.The Belles' winning streak ended with a 7-2 loss to Skidmore later on in the day, leaving them at 4-4 on their spring trip in Orlando. Saint Mary's lost five out of the first six singles matches until senior Grace Gordon defeated Kyra Travis with a 7-6, 3-6, 1-0 (10-8) decision. Kelly McDavitt and Camille Gebert continued to show their excellent chemistry with yet another doubles win over Danielle Fancher and Kate Hugo, 8-2.
