The Saint Mary’s College women’s tennis team continued conference play over the weekend when they took on Adrian College at home in the Eck Tennis Pavilion. The game was originally slated for March 10 but was postponed until March 26.
The Belles got off to an excellent start against the Bulldogs when they swept Adrian in doubles play. In the first doubles match, the duo of sophomore Alayna Campbell and first-year Emma Kealy won 8-3, while senior Lucy Chamberlin and first-year Leah Hosang won by a closer score of 8-5.
The best doubles outing, however, belonged to senior Kathleen McLeod and first-year Evelyn Demblans-Dechans, who dominated their opponents by a score of 8-1.
The two teams then moved to singles, play where Saint Mary’s continued to dominate.
Campbell lost her first set 4-6 before rallying back and winning her next two, 6-1 and 10-8.
Kealy nabbed a quick victory, sweeping her opponent 6-0 and 6-2, while Hosang won her sets 6-4 and 6-1. Demblans-Dechans secured the final SMC victory by shutting out her opponent in back-to-back sets, winning both 6-0.
SMC had two losses as senior Kathleen McLeod fell in three sets, losing a closely contested third set 10-8. Chamberlin had the other loss for the Belles, losing both sets 2-6.
Between their sweep in the doubles portion of the match and their 4-2 victory in the singles matches, the Belles knocked off the Bulldogs with a final score of 7-2.
For the Belles, the win extended a dominant win streak and improved their overall record to 12-0 and a conference record of 2-0. The loss sends Adrian to 1-6 on the year and puts them in last place in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association standings with a record of 0-3.
After defeating Adrian on Sunday, the Belles turned their attention to their next opponent on Wednesday evening when they took on Calvin University.
The Belles absolutely dominated the Knights of Calvin, with a 5-1 thrashing that avenged last season’s 2-7 loss.
Saint Mary’s only loss of the day was in doubles, where Campbell and Kealy lost 6-8. Chamberlin and Hosang got an 8-4 win.
In the singles matches, the Belles had a clean sweep on the Knights. Chamberlin defeated her opponent in consecutive 6-4 matches, and Campbell avenged her doubles loss with two 6-3 victories.
Hosang needed three matches to beat her opponent but one the third 10-8, while Demblans-Dechans won 6-0 and 6-2.
With the win against Calvin, the Belles improve to 13-0, with a 3-0 conference record, tying them for first in the MIAA with Kalamazoo.
Saint Mary’s will finish their homestand when they take on Hope College this Friday at the Eck Tennis Pavilion.
The last time the Belles took on the Flying Dutchmen, it was in the 2022 MIAA Tournament Semis, where Saint Mary’s fell 0-5. This year, Hope is 6-4 (1-0). The match is scheduled for a 4 p.m. start.
