ORLANDO, FL - The Smith College tennis team took on Division II Franklin Pierce for their final match while on spring break in Florida. Smith played using the Division I/II format, where instead of each doubles match counting as a single point towards the match score, doubles counts as one singular point, going to the team who wins the best 2 out of 3 matches. This means there are a total of 7 points up for grabs. 

Smith captured the win 5-2 and moved to 6-2 in dual matches this season. 

Doubles Highlights

• Marielle Sauber (The Woodlands, TX/The John Cooper School) and Ayla Hauser (Knoxville, TN/Bearden) started in the No. 2 position. The pair used a great combination of effective baseline play with aggressive net play to shut down their opponents with a 6-1 win. This secured the doubles point for Smith since Franklin Pierce had to forfeit No. 3 doubles and No. 6 singles, not having enough players due to injury. 

• The duo of Lili and Clara Goshgarian (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) returned to the No. 1 doubles slot. The duo got off to a strong start, showcasing their own style of aggressive doubles against another aggressive and versatile team. After going up 4-3, the pair from Franklin Pierce were able to win two straight games to go up 5-4. The Goshgarians played a great return game to break serve to even the score back up. Ferraz and Diaz of Franklin Pierce upped their game to take the next two games and win the match 7-5. 

Singles Highlights

• The next point of the day for Smith came in the No. 5 position. Dayana Caluna (Plainfield, NJ/College Achieve) won her match 6-0, 6-0 using her serve, groundstrokes, and net play to dominate the match. 
• First year, Sabrina Wang (Beijing, China/Princeton), finished quickly after Caluna, capturing the third point for Smith. Sabrina continues to show off her balance of patience and aggressive play to throw off her opponents. Wang only dropped four games on her way to a 6-3, 6-1 win. 
• Aranne Jung (Los Angeles, CA/North Hollywood) took on Maria Diaz at No. 3. Jung got off to a strong start, neutralizing the ball of Diaz and using her grit to battle through points. With Jung 2-1 up in the first set, Diaz settled into the match a bit more and won the next 5 games to take the next set. Jung continued to battle in the second, but it wasn't enough to hold off her opponent, giving Franklin Pierce their first point of the day. 
• Ayla Hauser (Knoxville, TN/Bearden) had a close match at the No. 1 slot. After dropping the first set to the crafty singles player from Franklin Pierce, Hauser adjusted her tactics to jump ahead to a 4-1 lead. Ferraz battled to win the next two games making the score 4-3. Hauser refocused her play and cruised to take the second set 6-3. Going into the third set, the athletes exchanged games, both showcasing their strengths. After a great battle and a match of adjustments, Ferraz managed to hone in her play near the end of the third set, securing her 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 win and the last point for her team. 
• The final point of the day for Smith came in the No. 2 position. Clara Goshgarian (Lake Forest, IL/Lake Forest) continues to showcase her determination and aggressive play in singles. After quickly taking the first set 6-2, her opponent, Zoe Asterio, adjusted play. C. Goshgarian continued to trust her game plan all the way to the set tie-break where she only dropped 2 points on her way to her 6-2, 7-6(2) victory. 

Up Next
Smith travels to Babson on Saturday, March 23 for a 2:00pm match to kick off their spring NEWMAC slate

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