MEADVILLE, Pa. – The Allegheny College women's tennis team was able to earn a split at the Nancy & Harvey Heath Gator Invitational by claiming a 7-2 victory over Grove City College this afternoon in the third-place match.
Allegheny (1-1, 0-0 NCAC) bounced back from a 6-3 defeat in the morning to Baldwin Wallace with five wins in singles and two doubles victories over Grove City (0-2, 0-0 PAC).
Freshman
Gaby DeLeon earned three wins in her first collegiate matches, grabbing a pair of those victories in singles play. DeLeon played third-flight singles in the morning, picking up a 6-4, 6-3 win over the Yellow Jackets' Claire Watts. She then moved up to the second flight against the Wolverines, claiming a 6-2, 6-2 decision over Taylor Bradley.
DeLeon's third win came with the Gators' lone senior,
Michaela Thompson, in top-flight doubles against Grove City. The duo knocked off Bradley and Maggie Manchester, 8-5.
Also claiming their first collegiate wins were freshmen
Sarah Casey,
Amanda Ress Liere, and
Rachel Crookston. Casey was victorious in both of her singles matches, winning 6-1, 6-0 in the sixth flight against the Wolverines after a 6-3, 7-5 decision in the fifth flight against Baldwin Wallace. Ress Liere grabbed victories in third-flight singles (6-1, 6-3) and third-flight doubles (8-1) over Grove City, while Crookston teamed up with Casey for an 8-6 win in third-flight doubles against the Yellow Jackets.
In the afternoon's top-flight singles match, Thompson defeated Manchester, 6-1, 1-6, 11-9. Junior
Jasmine Burton brought home a victory in fifth-flight singles with a 6-0, 6-1 decision over Melissa Karidis.
Allegheny is in action next weekend at the Oberlin Invitational, which starts on Friday, Sept. 9 and runs to Sunday, Sept. 11.
