Lyons blank Colby-Sawyer in final tune-up for NCAAs, streak at nine

NORTON, MA- In its final tune-up for next month's NCAA Tournament, the Wheaton College women's tennis team blanked Colby-Sawyer College, 9-0 on Sunday at the Clark Tennis Courts. The Lyons, who won the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Tournament last October, moved to 16-2 in downing a Charger squad that fell to 16-3 after capturing The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) Tournament crown last fall.

Wheaton, which is ranked 10th in the Northeast region by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) and extended its winning streak to nine, picked up a trio of sizable doubles wins, with senior Katherine Knies' (Purdys, NY/North Salem) and sophomore Allesandra DiOrio's (Cumberland, RI/Lincoln School) 8-1 victory in the second spot the largest triumph.

Juniors Sarah Geocaris (Newport Beach, CA/Sage Hill School) and Catherine Teague (Manchester, NH/Central), the region's 11th-ranked doubles tandem, earned an 8-4 win in the top spot, while junior Ellen Van Faasen (Manchester, MA/Manchester Essex Regional) and sophomore Rosalyn Chesky (South Hadley, MA/Wilbraham & Monson Academy) teamed for an 8-3 victory at three.

Chesky yielded only one game during a straight-set singles win in the sixth position, DiOrio and Knies lost just three apiece at four and five, respectively, while Van Faasen corralled a 6-2, 6-4 triumph in the third slot.

Geocaris, the region's 23rd-ranked player, battled for a 6-1, 5-7, 6-4 win over junior Hannah White (Stockbridge, MA/Monument Mountain Regional) in the second spot. Teague rounded out the victories by fending off senior Jen LaChance (Killingworth, CT/Haddam-Killingworth) by a 6-3, 6-7, 6-3 decision at number one to earn the 98th victory of her career.

Wheaton awaits word on which institution it will play in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament, which kicks off on May 14 at campus sites.