The Lake Forest College women's tennis team defeated Cornell College 8-1 and Grinnell College 6-3 at home on Saturday. All three teams had entered the day tied atop the Midwest Conference standings at 3-0 in league play.
The Foresters swept Cornell in doubles. An 8-2 triumph for sophomore Julie Lord and junior Leeza Bodnar at #1 was the first to finish, followed closely by an 8-1 win by senior Allison Watts and sophomore Tyranny Miller at #2. Sophomores Emma Wang and Grace Gould had to work a little harder but still prevailed 8-6 at #3.
Watts took the first set 6-0 and the second 6-3 at #2 singles and Lord clinched the Lake Forest victory with a 6-2, 6-0 win at #1. Wang prevailed 6-1, 6-2 at #4 before the Rams earned their only point of the contest at #3. Miller and freshman Katie Wegrecki were the final Foresters to take the court and both won the first set 7-5. Wegrecki dropped just one game in the second set at #6 and Miller came out on top 6-3 in the second at #5.
The Lake Forest doubles team finished off a perfect day with three more victories against the Pioneers, who came in having won 24 consecutive conference matches since falling to the Foresters in October of 2015. Watts and Miller were the first to finish, edging out Grinnell's #2 tandem 8-6. Wang and Gould won 8-2 at #3 and Lord and Bodnar completed the sweep with an 8-6 triumph at #1.
Bodnar was forced to retire late in the first set at #3 singles, giving the visitors their first point of the contest. Wang won her first set 6-4 and the second 6-2 at #4, pulling the Foresters to within a point of taking the match. It took at least five or six match point opportunities, but Watts finally finished off a 6-1, 7-6 (7-2) triumph at #2 to assure Lake Forest the top spot in the league standings at day's end. The visitors won at #1 singles and, after moving indoors to nearby Raquet Club of Lake Bluff, also earned a point at #5. Wegrecki then closed out the long day with a 7-5, 6-3 win at #6.
The Foresters remained perfect this season at 7-0 overall and 5-0 in league play. Grinnell won at Beloit College in the morning and Cornell in the afternoon and both teams fished with day at 4-1 in the league. Cornell is also 5-3 and Grinnell 4-2 overall.
Lake Forest will compete at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Regional Tournament in Kalamazoo, Michigan, next weekend.
