POUGHKEEPSIE, N.Y. – Hamilton College women's tennis players won 12 singles and four doubles matches in the Poughkeepsie Scramble, which was held at Vassar College and Marist University on Saturday, Sept. 13 and Sunday, Sept. 14.
The Continentals won five out of seven singles matches and two out of three doubles matches against Smith College at Marist on Saturday. Hamilton recorded victories in four out of six singles matches and two out of three doubles matches against Bates College at Vassar on Sunday. The Continentals also played singles and doubles matches against Vassar and Division I Marist.
"This event was a great way for us to open the season," Head Coach
Billy Boykin said. "We got lots of match play in both singles and doubles and had some really good bonding time together as a group. I thought our performances improved from match-to-match over the course of the weekend. I am excited to watch this team grow. They are an awesome group of young people."
Muhan Cui '28 and
Samantha Rainero '26 led Hamilton with three singles wins apiece. Cui defeated Vassar's Maddie Kirby 7-6 (5) and Smith's Emily Wang 6-2 in fourth flight action, and cruised to a 6-1 victory against a Bates opponent at second flight.
Rainero was a 6-3 winner against Vassar's Ananya Krishnan and a Bates player, and dominated Smith's Tabitha Bastress by a 6-0 decision. Rainero played all of those matches at fifth flight.
Mona Farah '29, who was playing in her first collegiate event, won two singles matches. Farah coasted to a 6-1 triumph against Smith's Dayana Caluna and again against a Bates opponent by a 6-0 count at sixth flight.
Other singles winners included:
Aanya Patel '29 against Vassar's Sara Lippin at eighth flight, 7-6 (8);
Grace Qian '27 against Smith's Marielle Sauber at first flight, 5-4 (ret.);
Lila Freeman '26 against Smith's Isa Benitez Barron at seventh flight, 6-4; and
Hannah Walpole '26 against a Bates opponent at fourth flight, 6-3.
The doubles victories were as follows: Cui and Walpole against Smith's Sauber and Wang at second flight, 6-2; Patel and Rainero against Smith's Bastress and Caluna at third flight, 6-1; Farah and Walpole against Bates at first flight, 8-4; and Freeman and Patel over Bates at third flight, 8-7 (10). Walpole and Patel won two doubles matches apiece.
The Continentals' next event is the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III Northeast Regional Championships at Skidmore College. The three-day tournament begins on Friday, Sept. 26.
