NORTHAMPTON, Mass. — The Smith College tennis team controlled the doubles point from the opening frame and held on through a competitive singles slate, earning a 5-2 victory over Springfield College in a New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) contest Tuesday afternoon in Northampton.

Smith swept all three doubles matches to seize the early advantage before winning four of six singles matchups, improving to 6-7 overall and 3-2 in NEWMAC play.

Doubles Dominance

The Bears set the tone by claiming the doubles point in convincing fashion. Ava Emrich (Smyrna, Delaware/Tower Hill School) and Heidi Cambron (Sherbrooke, Canada/Champlain College Lennoxville) opened the afternoon with a 6-4 victory at No. 1, while Isabel Benitez Barron and Dayana Caluna (Plainfield, NJ/College Achieve) delivered a 7-5 win at No. 3. The tightest doubles battle came at No. 2, where Ayla Hauser (Knoxville, TN/Bearden) and Natazya Simunyola (Lorton, VA/South County High School) edged Springfield in a tiebreak, 7-6 (7-0), to complete the sweep and hand Smith a 1-0 advantage heading into singles.

Singles Highlights

Smith's middle lineup proved decisive, with four consecutive wins from Nos. 2 through 5 determining the match's outcome. Ava Emrich (Smyrna, Delaware/Tower Hill School) was dominant at No. 2, rolling past her opponent 6-2, 6-1. Heidi Cambron (Sherbrooke, Canada/Champlain College Lennoxville) followed at No. 3 with an equally efficient 6-3, 6-0 victory. Emily Wang (Westford, MA/Westford Academy) held firm at No. 4 in a 6-1, 6-4 decision, and Tabitha Bastress (Shelburne, VT/Champlain Valley Union High School) closed out the clinching run with a 6-3, 6-1 win at No. 5.

Springfield earned its two points at the lineup's bookends. At No. 1, Hauser battled before dropping a tight three-set match — winning the first set 6-4 before falling in the second and third — while Sophia Dube (Portland, OR/Oregon Episcopal School) fell 7-5, 6-4 at No. 6 in the afternoon's final result.

Up Next

Smith returns to action Saturday, April 18, traveling to Cambridge, Mass., for a NEWMAC matchup against No. 11 Massachusetts Institute of Technology at noon.

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