POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. — Smith Tennis (0-2) fell to Vassar (1-0) 5-2 on Saturday at the Walker Field House. Smith Tennis secured singles victories at the No. 5 and No. 6 positions.

Vassar captured the doubles point with decisive victories across all three courts. At No. 1 doubles, Erin McCusker and Iris Li secured a 6-0 win over Heidi Cambron (Sherbrooke, Canada/Champlain College Lennoxville) and Ava Emrich (Smyrna, Delaware/Tower Hill School). Ananya Krishnan and Maddie Kirby followed with a 6-1 triumph at No. 2 doubles against Olivia Chin (Bayside, NY/Dominican Academy) and Emily Wang (Westford, MA/Westford Academy). The doubles sweep was completed as Gwendolyn Gray and Sara Lippin defeated Tabitha Bastress (Shelburne, VT/Champlain Valley Union High School) and Ayla Hauser (Knoxville, TN/Bearden) 6-3 at No. 3 doubles.

In singles, Vassar extended its lead with a series of straight-set wins. McCusker defeated Hauser 6-0, 6-3 at No. 1 singles, and Li followed with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Emrich at No. 2 singles. Krishnan added another point for Vassar with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Cambron at No. 3 singles. Kirby's 7-6, 6-0 win over Wang at No. 4 singles further solidified Vassar's advantage.

The Bears picked up two points in the lower singles positions. Natazya Simunyola (Lorton, VA/South County High School) showcased dominant play in the number 5 position, securing Smith's second point of the day. After taking the first set 6-0, her opponent made some adjustments keeping the second set close. Simunyola showcased great tactics, composure, and energy to take the second set 6-4. Olivia Chin (Bayside, NY/Dominican Academy) got the first point of the day for Smith over Gwen Gray. After dropping the first set 6-3, she jumped out to an early lead in the second set. Chin was using her serve to dictate play and found a great balance of play on the difficult Walker Field House surface. She took the second set 6-4, forcing a third-set ten-point tie-breaker. Chin continued to dominate play with her serve and stayed patient to outlast her opponent in the breaker 10-7. Despite these efforts, Vassar's early dominance secured the overall victory.

Doubles  
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Erin McCusker/Iris Li (Vassar) def. Heidi Cambron (Sherbrooke, Canada/Champlain College Lennoxville)/Ava Emrich (Smyrna, Delaware/Tower Hill School) (Smith Tennis) 6-0  
Ananya Krishnan/Maddie Kirby (Vassar) def. Olivia Chin (Bayside, NY/Dominican Academy)/Emily Wang (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) (Smith Tennis) 6-1  
Gwendolyn Gray/Sara Lippin (Vassar) def. Tabitha Bastress (Shelburne, VT/Champlain Valley Union High School)/Ayla Hauser (Knoxville, TN/Bearden) (Smith Tennis) 6-3  

Singles  
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Erin McCusker (Vassar) def. Ayla Hauser (Knoxville, TN/Bearden) (Smith Tennis) 6-0, 6-3  
Iris Li (Vassar) def. Ava Emrich (Smyrna, Delaware/Tower Hill School) (Smith Tennis) 6-2, 6-1  
Ananya Krishnan (Vassar) def. Heidi Cambron (Sherbrooke, Canada/Champlain College Lennoxville) (Smith Tennis) 6-1, 6-3  
Maddie Kirby (Vassar) def. Emily Wang (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) (Smith Tennis) 7-6, 6-0  
Natazya Simunyola (Lorton, VA/South County High School) (Smith Tennis) def. Liya Pomfret (Vassar) 6-0, 6-4  
Olivia Chin (Bayside, NY/Dominican Academy) (Smith Tennis) def. Gwendolyn Gray (Vassar) 3-6, 6-4, 6-1

Up Next

Smith will travel to Skidmore next weekend for a 2:00 PM first serve. 

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 onto GoSmithBears.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram