CLINTON, N.Y. – The Hamilton College Continentals posted a 5-0 NESCAC win against the Bates College Bobcats on Monday, April 29 in a match that started at Bates on Sunday afternoon and ended at Hamilton's Tietje Family Tennis Center.
Showers in Lewiston, Maine, delayed the start of the men's match between the Continentals and the Bobcats in the morning. They finally started early in the afternoon but had to stop in the middle of doubles play when the rain returned. The matches were suspended and the decision was made to complete the women's match at Hamilton on Monday.
The Continentals (7-8, 3-7 NESCAC) needed a victory in their regular season finale to clinch the eighth and final seed in the conference championship quarterfinals, and they did so convincingly. The match was played to clinch, so once someone reached five team points, the match ended.
In the only match that was completed on Sunday,
Hannah Apsey '25 and
Stephanie Pratt '25 cruised to an 8-0 win in first flight doubles. They improved their record to 9-5 this season and 15-8 in their Hamilton careers.
Priyanka Challapalli '27 and
Hannah Walpole '26 trailed 6-1 in their second flight doubles match when it was stopped on Sunday. The duo came all the way back to win 8-6 in a tiebreaker. Walpole and Apsey are tied for the team lead with 10 doubles wins this season.
Grace Qian '27 and
Samantha Rainero '26 recorded the other doubles victory at third flight. They played their first match together at Tufts University on Saturday and are 2-0 as doubles partners.
Only two singles matches were played to completion and Qian was involved in one of them as she triumphed at sixth flight. She leads the Continentals with a dozen singles wins this season.
Shannon Cicero '25 picked up the all-important fifth team point with her win in straight sets at third flight singles. Cicero evened her record at 7-7 and picked up her 25
th career singles victory.
Hamilton plays Wesleyan University in a NESCAC Championship quarterfinal at Wesleyan on Friday, May 3 at approximately 1 p.m.