Women’s Tennis
After a Saturday game against Gettysburg College was postponed, Swarthmore women’s tennis made a long trek to Pittsburgh to play Carnegie Mellon University. The No. 5-ranked opponent was coming off two straight losses against Emory University and Washington University in St. Louis. The No. 27-ranked Garnet, entering the match with a three game win streak, would have a competitive day against the Tartans.
Doubles partners Riya Rao ’26 and Ella Strickler ’27 won their match with a 7-5 score. Nathalie Williams ’25 and Lola Diaz ’26 lost 4-6. Partners Erin Li ’28 and Kathleen Shiffer ’26 also lost their match 4-6.
Strickler won her second game in a singles match, winning both sets. Strickler, a key player for the Garnet, was selected as Centennial Athlete of the Week this past Tuesday, with her second of the season, and Williams won her match in three sets, bouncing her back from a second set loss. Lisa Messier ’26 dominated her opponent 6-1 in each of two rounds, securing a well needed point. Diaz and Shiffer lost their matches, but put up determined fights nonetheless.
The 3-4 loss marked the fifth consecutive Garnet loss to the Tartans. Despite this, Swarthmore remains positive, preserving an overall winning record (6-4) and an unbeaten conference record (2-0). Women’s tennis next hosts No. 30-ranked Christopher Newport University on Saturday, April 12.
Men’s Tennis
This past Saturday, the No. 13-ranked Garnet traveled to Fredericksburg, VA, to play No. 17-ranked University of Mary Washington with a three-game win streak under their belts and high spirits.
The team swept all three doubles games, collecting three well-needed points. Partners Utham Koduri ’26 and Michael Melnikov ’26 beat their opponents in a tight 7-6 game. Similarly, partners Winston Zhang ’27 and Max Lindstrom ’26 finished with a 7-6 win. Andres Fente ’26 and Kai Chen ’28 cruised through their match 6-2 to close doubles.
Lalith Suresh ’26 scored the first singles point for Swarthmore in a two round win. Lindstrom finished next, but could not defeat his opponent. Rishi Verma ’27, Chen, and Aamish Pal ’26 won their matches in two, with Rishi closing his game in a dominant 6-1 set. Melnikov lost the first set but rebounded with two wins in the last rounds, securing the sixth and last point for Garnet, who finished 6-1 overall.
Coming off a victory, Swarthmore played the No. 10-ranked Emory University the next day.
Melnikov and Koduri won their doubles (7-6) match to score a point for the Garnet. Duo Lindstrom and Zhang also finished in a tight 7-6 win. Fente and Chen, however, fell in a 1-6 match. Swathmore collected two points in the doubles round.
The singles round proved more difficult in tight matches. After a 6-1 first round win, Chen lost in the second 2-6, and responded with a 6-4 win to win the match. Chen was honored as the Centennial Conference Player of the Week for his success throughout the weekend. Suresh won the first and third sets against his opponent to take the match. However, Melnikov, Lindstrom, Verma, and Pal lost their singles games.
A close game, a 3-4 loss, rounded out the Garnet’s competition for the week. On Sunday, April 13, the men’s tennis team plays No. 21-ranked Christopher Newport University at Mullan Tennis Center. The Garnet hold an 8-5 overall record and an undefeated 3-0 conference record.
