ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Extending its winning streak to nine matches, the Navy women's tennis team (14-4, 1-0 PL) posted a dominant 7-0 sweep over Lehigh (4-11, 0-1 PL) in its Patriot League opener Saturday afternoon at the Tose Family Tennis Center.
 
Shifting to 12-1 at home this spring, the Midshipmen also saw a trio of sophomores extend their personal singles winning streaks while the duo of sophomore Peyton Amspacher-Philemon and junior Anna Jordaan improved their doubles winning streak to five matches.
 
Navy took early control of the match by sweeping all three doubles courts to claim the opening point. The No. 1 pairing of Amspacher-Philemon and Jordaan set the tone with a quick 6-2 win over Lena Dogadalski and Hannah Letzer. Sophomore Molly Bellia and freshman Anna Wiskowski then clinched the doubles point with a 6-3 victory in the third flight over Giselle Vlassis and Skye Yonehara, while junior Julia Lee and sophomore Grace Li completed the sweep by taking the No. 2 match, 6-4, against Maggie Forkner and Alina Shyani.
 
The Midshipmen carried their momentum into singles play, winning five of the six matches in straight sets. Amspacher-Philemon was the first to finish, quickly dispatching Ronit Khromchenko, 6-1, 6-1, at the No. 5 spot. Bellia followed with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Shyani at the No. 4 position, and Li officially clinched the overall victory for Navy by defeating Vlassis, 6-3, 6-1, on the third court.
 
Navy continued to roll with the team win locked up, as Jordaan earned a 6-2, 6-4 win at the No. 6 slot over Alice Ann Pantsari, while Nicole Fu captured a back-and-forth first set with a tiebreaker against Dogadalski before cruising to a 7-6 (4), 6-1 victory in the second flight. Sophomore Emma Gu completed the sweep at the top court, rallying from a set down to defeat Forkner, 1-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-4).
 
Head Coach Keith Puryear Comments
"It's good to get that first conference match under your belt. The energy and intensity are always higher for our Patriot League matches. We liked most of what we saw today, as the ladies did a good job of battling through adversity when it came around, making small adjustments when needed. Everyone's effort was exemplary today, but one that stood out was Emma at the No. 1 spot. She did a great job today of finding a way back, losing the first set and falling down 3-0 in the second set before rallying to beat the league's fall singles champion. Tomorrow brings another challenge against Bucknell, and we must prepare for a battle."
 
Match Notes
• Navy moved to 18-0 in the all-time series with Lehigh.
• Amspacher-Philemon has won her last 11 singles matches, while Li has won seven-straight singles decisions and Bellia has claimed her last four singles matches.
• Li and Lee have won four-straight matches as a pairing, while Bellia and Wiskowski have teamed up to win three-straight doubles matches.
• Navy's current nine-match winning streak is the Mids' longest since another nine-game win streak from March 13-April 12, 2023.
 
Up Next
Navy hosts another league foe on Sunday, playing Bucknell at 11:00 a.m.