BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Navy women's tennis team (13-4, 1-0 PL) opened its Patriot League season with an impressive win on Saturday, posting a 7-0 sweep over Lehigh (4-6, 0-2 PL) at the Lewis Indoor Tennis Courts in Bethlehem, Pa.
 
The victory gives the Midshipmen their fourth consecutive win, as it also secures the second-straight year that the Mids have claimed their league opener.
 
Navy got started with freshman Sia Chaudry and senior captain Casey Accola posting a 6-3 doubles win over the Mountain Hawks' No. 2 pairing of Allyce Gaborik and Junmoke James, while the Mids' top pairing of sophomore Emily Tannenbaum and junior Samantha Johns clinched the doubles point with a 6-2 victory against the twin duo of Anushka and Megha Dania.
 
Playing out doubles, Lehigh bounced back with a 6-4 win by Bella Peters and Hamsa Javagal against freshman Hanna Elks Smith and sophomore Kate Lee on the third court.
 
Navy went up 2-0 at the start of singles competition, as a forfeit by Lehigh in the No. 6 spot gave Lee a victory, while Parvathi Shanker put the Mids on victory's doorstep when she quickly defeated James on the No. 4 court with a 6-1, 6-1 score. Clinching the Navy win was Johns, who notched a strong 6-2, 6-2 performance over Gaborik at the No. 2 position, and the Mids extended the lead when fellow junior Stella Ribaudo finished off Megha Dania, 6-4, 6-3, on the second court.
 
Rounding out Navy's singles sweep was Tannenbaum scoring a 5-7, 6-4, 10-8 win over Javagal in the top spot and sophomore Sylvia Eklund playing out a 4-6, 6-2, 10-6 victory against Anushka Dania on the No. 5 court.
 
Keith Puryear Post-Match Comments
"Today was a good start to the Patriot League portion of our season. We didn't really start well in some spots today, but, as the match progressed, we did a good job adjusting to the conditions and to our opponents' game styles. Lehigh played us tough across the board, and Emily and Sylvia's matches stand out with us being able to weather some storms to get the win. We took away some very good points to continue to focus on as we moving forward."
 
Match Notes
• Johns has now won all five singles matches she's played this year, with Saturday's start at No. 3 being her highest appearance in the singles lineup this season.
• Tannenbaum and Eklund both extended their singles win streaks to three matches.
• Navy is 8-5 in Patriot League openers.
• The Mids are now 15-0 all-time against Lehigh.
 
Up Next
Navy continues Patriot League play at Bucknell on Sunday, March 26. First serve is set for noon in Lewisburg, Pa.