SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. - The Smith College tennis team opened up competition on day one of the 2017 Seven Sisters Championship hosted by Mount Holyoke Sunday. The Pioneers fell to Wellesley, 4-1 and dropped their second match of the day to Vassar, 5-0.

WELLESLEY 4 SMITH 1
Senior Margaret Anne Smith (Spring Lake, N.J./High Technology) picked up the lone victory for the Pioneers at the No. 3 position. The first set was tight as the Wellesley plays struck hard and fast forcing Smith into defensive mode.  Her strong will and determination allowed her to adjust to the challenging hard hitting opponent as well as to the physical challenges of her court assignment. Unable to use her high recovery lobs because of the overhead interference of the indoor court, she was forced to rely on her other strengths. Smith changed pace, and hit topspin to keep her opponent off balance to claim the second set. 

DOUBLES
#1 Carina Chen / Dasha Kostikina (WEL) def. Emma Essenmacher (Delran, N.J./Delran) / Kara Van Allen (Kalamazoo, Mich./Mattawan) (SMI) 6-1, 6-0
#2 Andjela Stojkovic / Caroline Dickensheet (WEL) def. Leigh Johnston (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Punahou School) / Tess Ostoyich (Bethesda, Md./Whitman) (SMI) 6-0, 6-1

SINGLES
#1 Justine Huang (WEL)  def. Noa Dubin (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) (SMI) 6-0, 6-1
#2 Tristan Lorich (WEL) Joanna Kim (Chicago, Ill./Northside College Prep) (SMI) 5-4 (Final - Retirement)
#3 Margaret Anne Smith (Spring Lake, N.J./High Technology) (SMI) def. Rosanne Hu (WEL) 6-4, 6-0

VASSAR 5 SMITH 0

SINGLES
#1 Katie Christensen (VC) def. Noa Dubin (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) (SMI) 4-6, 7-5, 10-5
#2 Shayna Becker (VC) def. Margaret Anne Smith (Spring Lake, N.J./High Technology) (SMI) 6-2, 3-6, 10-4
#3 Vista Grinde (VC) def. Samira Mehta (Sudbury, Mass./Lincoln Sudbury Regional) (SMI) 6-0, 6-1

DOUBLES
#1 Tara Edwards/Morgane Flournay (VC) def. Emma Essenmacher (Delran, N.J./Delran)/Kara VanAllen (SMI) 6-0, 6-1
#2 Dasha Ivenisky/Vista Grande (VC) def. Tess Ostoyich (Bethesda, Md./Whitman)/Leigh Johnston (Kaneohe, Hawaii/Punahou School) (SMI) 6-2, 6-1

Smith continues the 2017 Seven Sisters Tennis Championship with a pair of matches on Sunday. The Pioneers will play Mount Holyoke at 9:00 a.m. before taking on Bryn Mawr at 1:30 p.m. For more information, check out the Seven Sisters tournament homepage.

Day 1 Results (Saturday, April 8)

Match 1: Mount Holyoke College def. Bryn Mawr College, 5-0
Match 2: Wellesley College def. Smith College, 4-1
Match 3: Vassar College def. Bryn Mawr College, 5-0
Match 4: Wellesley College def. Mount Holyoke College, 3-2
Match 5: Vassar College def. Smith College, 5-0

Day 2 Schedule (Sunday, April 9)

9:00 a.m. – Mount Holyoke vs. Smith
10:30 a.m. – Wellesley vs. Bryn Mawr
12:00 p.m. – Vassar vs. Mount Holyoke
1:30 p.m. – Bryn Mawr vs. Smith
3:00 p.m. – Vassar vs. Wellesley

Team Standings (After Day 1)

Vassar College  – (2-0)
Wellesley College – (2-0)
Mount Holyoke College – (1-1)
Smith College – (0-2)
Bryn Mawr College – (0-2)