The Forester women's tennis team edged out host Grinnell College 5-4 and prevailed 8-0 at Cornell College on Saturday to raised its Midwest Conference South Division record to 3-0. Lake Forest sophomore Grace Dowling and freshman Lexi Chionis went undefeated on the day in the middle of the singles and doubles lineups.
The visitors started the day by sweeping Grinnell in doubles play. Sophomores Sarah Paulson and Christi Valicenti won 8-4 at #1, Dowling and Chionis combined for an 8-6 triumph at #2, and freshman Marisa Guggenheim and senior Aimee Fadden posted an 8-5 victory at #3.
Grinnell came all the way back and took a 4-3 lead by winning at the top two and bottom two spots in the singles lineup. The score was tied at four after Dowling finished off a 6-4, 6-4 victory at #3, leaving the fate of the match up to Chionis, who had gone to a third set at #4 after winning the first 7-6 (7-4) and falling 6-0 in the second. She prevailed 6-2 in the third, giving the Foresters a victory over Grinnell for the second year in a row.
The Foresters then drove an hour-and-a-half from Grinnell to Cornell and posted a much more convincing victory over the Rams.
Lake Forest fielded the same doubles lineup and began with 8-2 victories at #2 and #3. Paulson and Valicenti then finished off a 9-8 (7-4) triumph at #1 to make the score 3-0.
After being the last off the court in the morning, Chionis was the first to finish her singles match in the afternoon. She won 6-0, 6-1 at #4 and Guggenheim prevailed by the same score at #5. Dowling followed with a 6-0, 6-2 victory at #3 and Fadden won both sets at #6 by the same 6-1 score. Paulson came out on top of a 6-1, 6-4 decision at #1 and Valicenti led 6-3, 2-1 at #2 but the match went unfinished.
The Foresters remain undefeated on the season at 9-0 overall and 3-0 in MWC South play. Grinnell fell to 8-4 overall and 3-1 in the league. Cornell is now 5-10 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
Lake Forest will attempt to finish undefeated in divisional play for the second year in a row by defeating Illinois College Saturday at 9:00 a.m. and host Monmouth College at noon. A victory in either match will clinch the division's top seed in next Friday's MWC Championship Tournament.
