NORTHAMPTON, Mass. - The Smith College tennis squad picked up a 6-3 victory over Mount Holyoke College Tuesday afternoon in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) match. The Pioneers improve to 4-5 overall and 1-3 in the NEWMAC.

Doubles Highlights

• The first win of the day came in the number 3 doubles position. For the first time this season, Miranda Gibson (Bethlehem, PA/Moravian Academy) and Olivia Monos (Reading, PA/Wilson) teamed up to take on the Lyons. The pair showcased strong doubles to cruise to an 8-3 victory. 

• The second win of the day came in the number one position where first year duo Lili and Clara Goshgarian (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) secured their second conference doubles victory of the season. They faced a tough team from Mount Holyoke but the Goshgarian's were able to secure a decisive victory by showcasing their aggressive play, getting the 8-3 win. 

• In the number three position, Ashley Felix (El Paso, Tex./Americas) and Alexa Monos (Reading, PA/Wilson) had to battle until the very end to earn the doubles sweep for the Pioneers. Mount Holyoke and Smith exchanged games with the Lyons throughout the match. At 5-4, with the Lyons having the edge, Ashley and Alexa played lights out doubles to win two games in a row to go up 6-5. The battle continued on court where at 7-6, the Pioneers had a chance to serve out the match. The pair played an aggressive game, but Mount Holyoke was able to hold one to one more point to force a set tie-break. In the tie-break, Ashley and Alexa reset, and stayed steady to get their second consecutive conference doubles win! 

Singles Highlights

• Even though the Pioneers had a 3-0 lead going into singles Smith committed to staying focused and digging in to ensure they would be the first team to get to 5 points. 

• The first singles win of the day came from Miranda Gibson (Bethlehem, PA/Moravian Academy) in the number six position. She cruised to a 6-1, 6-1 victory putting the Pioneers up 4-0. 

•  After securing a tight win in doubles, going into singles, Alexa Monos (Reading, PA/Wilson) was determined. She played a very close first set against Hannah Middleton of Mount Holyoke. While the pair exchanged games, Alexa stayed patient and made important adjustments to secure the first set 6-4. Going into the second set, Alexa found her groove and was able to secure her match and the match for the Pioneers with a 6-4, 6-1 win! 

• The last point of the day came in the number five position, where Olivia Monos (Reading, PA/Wilson) also had to grind through a tough first set. Olivia showed great patience while adjusting to the many slice balls her opponent was throwing her way. Olivia found a way to grind out the first set 7-5. Going into the second set Olivia showed great composure and executed an effective strategy to hold her opponent to only one game, winning the match 7-5, 6-1. 

• In the number three position, Ashley Felix (El Paso, Tex./Americas) played a very tough match against Annissa Aamoum. Ashley showcased an amazing ability to match pace and spin with a crafty opponent. 

• At No. 2, Clara Goshgarian (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) quickly jumped ahead in the first set to get the 6-2 set win. Going into the second set, her opponent made some adjustments forcing Clara to continue to be creative and patient with her play. The opponents swapped games forcing the set to go to a tie-break at 6-6. Clara dropped the tie-break, so with the match already decided for the Pioneers the third set was going to be a 10-point tie-break. Shweta from the Lyons quickly jumped ahead to a 5-0 lead in the tie-break. Clara made some adjustments to fight her way back into the tie-break. At 7-9 for the Lyons, Clara saved a match point to make it 8-9. Clara showed great heart fighting for the match but was unable to hold off the last match point, dropping the second three-setter of her young college career.  

• In No. 1 singles, Lili Goshgarian (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) faced another very crafty opponent. In the first set, her opponent jumped ahead to a 4-1 lead. Lili was able to mix in her own creativity and started to climb her way back into the set. Even with the determination she showed, her opponent was able to close out the set 7-5. Going into the second set, Annika Chai of Mount Holyoke continued to mix up play and was able to get the final point for Mount Holyoke. 

Up Next
Smith will travel to Springfield College for a 12:00 p.m. match on Saturday, April 16.

About Smith Athletics: Smith College is a NCAA Division III member of the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference that sponsors 11 intercollegiate sports. For more information log on to smithpioneers.com and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.