The Lake Forest College women's tennis team opened Midwest Conference South Division play with a 7-2 victory over Cornell College and a 9-0 blanking of Illinois College at home on Saturday. Gracie Mullins was one of four Foresters to go 3-0 on the day in singles and doubles matches combined.
Mullins and freshman Grace Dowling got the day off to a good start for the home team, completing their 8-0 blanking of Cornell's #3 pair before the other doubles matches ended. Senior Melika Celebic and freshman Christi Valicenti won 8-2 at #1 doubles and the Foresters led 2-1 going into singles play.
Celebic gave Lake Forest a 3-1 advantage by defeating the Rams' top singles player 6-1, 6-3 but a Cornell victory at #4 made the score 3-2 in favor of the Foresters. Dowling finished off a 6-4, 6-2 triumph at #3 and Valicenti's 6-2, 6-3 win at #2 clinched the team victory for Lake Forest. Mullins added a 6-1, 6-2 victory at #5 and freshman Emily Rabin prevailed 6-3, 6-4 at #6.
After Cornell blanked Illinois College 9-0, the Foresters did the same.
Junior Aimee Fadden and sophomore Lucy Cooper moved up a spot in the doubles lineup to #1 and defeated the Lady Blues' top pair 8-4. Dowling and Mullins won 8-0 at #2 and senior Kaitlyn Martin teamed up with sophomore Leslie Walton for another 8-0 victory at #3.
Walton and Martin followed with 6-1, 6-0 triumphs at #6 and #5 singles, respectively, and Celebic won by the same score at #1. Valicenti did not lose a game at #2 singles, nor did Cooper at #4. The closest match was Rabin's 6-3, 6-1 victory at #3.
Lake Forest is now 7-0 for the first time since 1979. The Foresters are also 2-0 in MWC South Division play. Cornell is 3-1, both overall and in the league, and Saturday's matches were the first of the season for Illinois College.
The Foresters will be in action at home again tomorrow when they host Beloit College at 9:00 a.m. and the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater at 3:00 p.m.
