Yale Athletics
The women’s tennis team improved its record to 3–0 this past weekend as it confidently dispatched Quinnipiac and Boston University.
Yale’s Cullman-Heyman Tennis Center hosted in-state rival Quinnipiac (3–1, 2–0 MAAC) and Boston University (1–3, 0–0 Patriot League) as the women’s tennis team continued its indoor campaign. The Bulldogs (3–0, 0–0 Ivy) defeated the Bobcats 6–1 on Saturday before tallying yet another win on Sunday against the Terriers.
“The past weekend was definitely a great start to the season and it helped us build confidence early on that we can carry throughout the rest of the season,” Samantha Martinelli ’21 said. “The results definitely show our hard work has been worth it.”
Competition against Quinnipiac began with singles matches on Saturday, in which Yale swept five of the six matchups. At No. 1 Martinelli defeated her challenger in straight-sets 6–2, 6–0. Martinelli has not lost a singles match since November, when she fell in a third set tiebreaker against her Dartmouth counterpart. Since that Big Green Invitation, Martinelli has not lost a single game, singles or doubles.
Similarly, No. 3 Elizabeth Zordani ’18 conceded only two sets in her victory, while teammates captain No. 5 Sunday Swett ’18 and No. 2 Amy Yang ’19 confidently halted their opponents 6–2, 6–1 and 6–2, 6–4, respectively. No. 4 Caroline Amos ’19 played in a close match, and ultimately prevailed over her opponent, winning 6–4, 7–5.
In the doubles portion of competition, Yale swept all three matches, winning in total 18 games compared to Quinnipiac’s six. At No. 1, the power duo of Martinelli and Zordani shut out their Bobcat counterparts 6–0. Meanwhile, No. 3 Swett and Yang played to a 6–4 victory. And in her spring debut, phenom Mimi Levine ’21 partnered with Amos to defeat a Quinnipiac pairing 6–2.
On Sunday, the Bulldogs faced off against the Terriers for a 5–2 victory. Yet again, Martinelli led the surge with a 6–3, 6–2 win at No. 1. She was followed by teammates No. 2 Yang, No. 3 Zordani, and No. 5 Swett who all triumphed in straight-set victories. No. 2 Yang won a particularly close first set 7–6(4), before trouncing her opponent in the second set 6–0. Meanwhile, Zordani and Swett won their games 6–2, 6–4 and 6–4, 6–4, respectively. Levine played at the No. 7 exhibition spot, but also prevailed in her one-set match 6–4.
In doubles, Yale clinched the point, winning two out of the three matches. In the first spot, Martinelli and Zordani won their match. At No. 2, Levine and Amos fell to the Terriers 6–4, but at the No. 3 spot Swett and Yang won the rubber match to win the doubles point with a 6–2 triumph.
“We had really good team chemistry,” Amos said. “We were successful because we have focused on conditioning and outworked the competition.”
Overall, the women’s tennis team continued to build positive momentum, accumulating a 3–0 record to this point. The Elis compete again in the ECAC Indoor Championship in two weeks.
Cate Sawkins | cate.sawkins@yale.edu