The Forester women's tennis team was defeated 6-3 by the College of Wooster and Edgewood College on Wednesday in Hilton Head, South Carolina. Lake Forest senior Melika Celebic and freshman Christi Valicenti were perfect on the day at the top of the singles and doubles lineups.
Celebic began the day by blanking Wooster's top singles player 6-0, 6-0 and Valicenti soon finished off a 6-1, 6-0 triumph at #2. The Fighting Scots took the other four singles matches, however, and led 4-2 going into doubles play.
Celebic and Valicenti won 8-5 at #1 doubles the Foresters fell 8-5 at #2 and 8-6 at #3.
Lake Forest's match against Edgewood began with doubles. Celebic and Valicenti posted another 8-5 victory at the #1 spot but the Foresters were defeated once again at the other two positions, although a tiebreaker was needed to decide the match at #3.
The Foresters were also victorious at the top of the singles lineup. Celebic took the first set 6-0 and the second 7-5 at #1 singles. Valicenti prevailed 6-0, 6-4 at #2. Three of the other four singles matches were decided by a super tiebreaker in lieu of a third set but the Eagles came out on top each time.
With four wins on the day, Celebic raised her total on the season to 32 and surpassed the school record she set two years ago. She also moved into second place in program history with 93 career victories, just two shy of the mark set by Brittany Richardson in 2005. Her 47 career singles wins are tied for the third-most in team annals, just three off the mark set 11 years ago by Jackie Pieczkiewicz. Forty-four of those triumphs came at the #1 position (the other three in ITA tournaments), tying the record set by Alli Berry in 2007. On the doubles side, her 18 wins with Valicenti this season are the most by any individuals in team history and her 46 career victories trail only Richardson's 52.
Lake Forest will finish the first Spring Break trip in program history against Gettysburg College Thursday afternoon at 12:30 (EST). The Forester men will also take on Gettysburg at that time. Both matches will be played at the South Beach Racquet Club in Hilton Head, South Carolina.