PASADENA, Calif. – The Smith College tennis team secured a signature victory on Friday morning, upsetting No. 31 Caltech 5-4 at the Braun Tennis Center. The Bears used a strong doubles start and dominant performances in the middle of the singles lineup to topple the ranked Beavers.
THE HIGHLIGHTS
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Doubles Advantage: Smith took a 2-1 lead heading into singles play. The top duo of Ava Emrich (Smyrna, Delaware/Tower Hill School) and Heidi Cambron (Sherbrooke, Canada/Champlain College Lennoxville) set the tone with a 6-3 win at No. 1 doubles.
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Securing the Point: At the No. 2 position, Ayla Hauser (Knoxville, TN/Bearden) and Natazya Simunyola (Lorton, VA/South County High School) battled to a 6-4 victory to give the Bears the edge.
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Singles Dominance: Smith earned the three necessary points for the team win at the No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 singles flights.
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Efficient Wins: Ava Emrich (Smyrna, Delaware/Tower Hill School) (6-3, 6-2) and Heidi Cambron (Sherbrooke, Canada/Champlain College Lennoxville) (6-1, 6-3) both won in straight sets at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
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The Clincher: Natazya Simunyola (Lorton, VA/South County High School) provided the final spark at No. 4 singles, defeating Hannah Ramsperger 6-4, 6-2.
RESULTS
Doubles
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Emrich/Cambron (SMI) def. Gerung/Hayes (CIT) — 6-3
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Hauser/Simunyola (SMI) def. Kunimoto/Szczuka (CIT) — 6-4
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Ramsperger/Kessman (CIT) def. Sauber/Caluna (SMI) — 6-4
Singles
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Carissa Gerung (CIT) def. Ayla Hauser (Knoxville, TN/Bearden) (SMI) — 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
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Ava Emrich (Smyrna, Delaware/Tower Hill School) (SMI) def. Anna Szczuka (CIT) — 6-3, 6-2
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Heidi Cambron (Sherbrooke, Canada/Champlain College Lennoxville) (SMI) def. Polaris Hayes (CIT) — 6-1, 6-3
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Natazya Simunyola (Lorton, VA/South County High School) (SMI) def. Hannah Ramsperger (CIT) — 6-4, 6-2
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Aoi Kunimoto (CIT) def. Emily Wang (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) (SMI) — 1-6, 6-1, 6-2
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Naya Kessman (CIT) def. Tabitha Bastress (Shelburne, VT/Champlain Valley Union High School) (SMI) — 6-0, 6-0
UP NEXT
The Bears will return to Northampton to begin NEWMAC conference play against Babson on March 27th.
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 GoSmithBears.com and follow us on Facebook, and Instagram.
