ORLANDO, Fla. – The Navy women's tennis team ended spring break on Tuesday with two more victories at the USTA National Campus in Orlando, notching a 5-2 afternoon win over South Dakota before sweeping Niagara, 7-0, in the nightcap.
 
With the doubleheader sweep, the Midshipmen moved to 12-4 on the campaign and 5-0 in the state of Florida, while South Dakota fell to 1-8 overall and Niagara shifted to 3-7 this season.
 
South Dakota Recap
While the top Navy pairing of sophomore Emily Tannenbaum and junior Samantha Johns got back in the win column via a 6-4 victory over South Dakota's Grace Chadick and Paige Alter, the Coyotes struck back to take the doubles point by claiming wins on the other two courts.
 
Beata Havlickova and Eesha Varma beat the Mids' sophomore duo of Kate Lee and Parvathi Shanker, 6-4, while Anna Medvyedyeva and Selena Bird pulled off a 7-5 win over freshman Sia Chaudry and senior Casey Accola on the second court to clinch the opening point.
 
Tannenbaum worked quickly to tie the team score, cruising to a 6-2, 6-1 win in the No. 1 singles match over Havlickova, while freshman Hanna Elks Smith put Navy ahead with a 6-1, 6-0 victory against Varma in the No. 6 position, notching her fifth-straight singles win this season.
 
Sophomore Sylvia Eklund added to the Mids' edge when she downed Bird in a 6-3, 6-2 contest on the fifth court, and Johns sealed the Navy win with a 3-6, 6-1, 6-3 victory in the No. 4 spot against Alter despite Chadick earning a 7-6 (7-3), 3-6, 6-0 win over Lee in the No. 3 showdown.
 
Rounding out singles play was Chaudry battling past Medvyedyeva, racking up a 6-3, 3-6, 7-6 (7-2) win over the Coyotes' No. 2 player.
 
Niagara Recap
In the nightcap, the Mids took an early lead by picking up the doubles point, as junior Stella Ribaudo and Smith partnered to defeat Erika Gonzalez and Enrica Favaron by a 6-0 score on the No. 2 court to set the tone.
 
Eklund and Lee then wrapped up a 6-1 win over Elena Mayet and Jaida Borg in the top spot, and Chaudry partnered with junior Corinne Farid to beat the Purple Eagles' Coral Rodriguez and Mercedes Velasco, 6-2, on the No. 3 court to complete the doubles sweep.
 
In singles play, Shanker took under an hour to knock off Gonzalez, 6-2, 6-0, on the No. 3 court, while Smith followed her with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Velasco on the fifth court and Accola notched a 6-2, 6-3 win against Mayet in the No. 2 matchup to clinch the Navy win.
 
Farid then pulled out a 6-0, 6-4 victory in the No. 6 position against Favaron, Eklund finished off Borg at the No. 4 spot via a 6-2, 6-2 score, and Ribaudo sealed the dual-match sweep with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Rodriguez.
 
Keith Puryear Post-Match Comments
"These were two good battles for the ladies today. South Dakota forced us to battle back after losing the doubles, as Emily and Sam executed well to get us one win in the doubles, but we could not gather the other. Coach Pedergnana and I were pleased with the resolve showed to right the ship in singles, as Emily played a clean match at the No. 1 spot, as did Hanna and Sylvia at No. 6 and No. 5 to get us on the board. Sam and Sia followed suit in three-setters to secure the win. Kate lost a tough three-setter at No. 3 but showed great grit to fight back throughout."
 
"Against Niagara, we knew we had to be ready to compete hard again and we did. Doubles was clean, with us doing a great job of executing our game plans, and we did well to use that momentum to stretch the lead in singles. We will take a well-earned rest now and start preparation for the Patriot League portion of the season once we return from Florida."
 
Match Notes
• Smith extended her personal singles winning streak to six matches, while Johns improved her win streak in singles play to four-straight contests.
• Navy is now 1-0 all-time against South Dakota and 1-0 in the all-time series with Niagara.
• Ribaudo is now 3-0 in the No. 1 singles spot this spring and Chaudry is 5-0 in the No. 2 position.
• Lee and Eklund are on a 3-match winning streak in doubles play.
 
Up Next
Navy opens its Patriot League slate on March 25 at Lehigh, continuing league play the following day at Bucknell. Both matches are set for opening serve at 10 a.m.