NOTRE DAME, Ind. - The Saint Mary's tennis team picked up a hard-won 8-1 conference victory over visiting Calvin on Wednesday afternoon at the Angela Athletic & Wellness Complex.

 

Lucy Chamberlin and Leah Hosang broke serve to take a 5-3 lead before Hosang held her serve for a 6-3 advantage at two doubles. A short while later, the pair were the first doubles tandem off the court after taking an 8-4 win. Alayna Campbell and Emma Kealy trailed 5-2 in their one doubles match. The pair broke serve, Campbell held serve, and the duo broke serve again to knot the score at 5-5. Kealy held serve to put the Belles up 6-5. Their Calvin counterparts held serve to tie the score at 6-6 before breaking serve and holding for an 8-6 setback for Campbell and Kealy. The three doubles match was just as tight as the other flights as Kathleen McLeod and Evelyn Demblans-Dechans matched their counterparts game for game. The pair broke serve to gain a 7-5 lead late, and McLeod closed out the match by holding serve for an 8-5 victory.

 

Emma Kealy built an early lead in her three singles match as the freshman quickly jumped ahead 4-1. She continued to hold that three-game lead on her way to a 6-2 opening-set win. Kealy then powered her way to a 6-1 decision in the second set for the win. Alayna Campbell similarly claimed an early 2-1 lead before winning a lengthy point for a 3-1 advantage. She held off her opponent after a 3-2 score for a 4-2 lead by holding serve. Up 4-3, she held serve and then broke serve for a 6-3 win in the first set. In her second set, she turned a 3-2 lead into a 5-2 advantage before closing out the match with a 6-3 victory in the set.

 

Lucy Chamberlin had a marathon battle at one singles. After turning a 1-0 deficit into a 3-1 lead, her opponent rattled off three consecutive games to edge ahead 4-3. Facing deuce, Chamberlin claimed the point to break serve and tie the set 4-4 before holding serve for a 5-4 lead. The senior broke serve again for a key 6-4 win in the opening stanza. Down 2-1 in the second set, she broke serve to tie the set 2-2 and then won a 34-shot rally to hold serve and go ahead 3-2. Her Calvin counterpart flipped the lead by taking the next two games. Facing down deuce again, Chamberlin prevailed in a 25-shot rally to break serve and tie up the set at 4-4. In the next game, she used an ace on deuce to win and go ahead 5-4. Chamberlin then closed out the hard-fought win by breaking serve for the 6-4 win while also clinching the team victory.

 

Leah Hosang dropped the opening game of her four singles match before rattling off four consecutive games for a 4-1 lead. The freshman edged ahead 5-2 before capturing the 6-3 first-set win. Hosang could not overcome a deficit in the second set and fell 6-2. With Chamberlin's match completed and the overall match decided, Hosang went to a ten-point super tiebreaker. She took an early lead and came up with big response shots when the score was knotted up late before ultimately taking a 10-8 win in the tiebreaker. Evelyn Demblans-Dechans powered her way to a 6-0 win in her opening set and quickly went ahead 3-0 in her second set. Demblans-Dechans and her opponent traded games before the freshman used a strong surge for a 6-2 win in the second set for the victory at six singles.

 

Much like Chamberlin's match, Kathleen McLeod had a lengthy battle at five singles as the final match on the court. The senior made a push in her opening set after trailing 5-2 to make it a 5-4 score, but McLeod could not quite make the full comeback in the opener as she ended up just short at 6-4. She flipped the script in the second set by establishing a quick 4-1 lead before holding serve late in the set for a 6-4 win to also force a ten-point tiebreaker. McLeod established the momentum early by taking the first four points. She stretched her opponent across the width of the court, used several winning shots to extend the lead, and ultimately secured the win with a 10-3 tiebreaker.

 

Ava Stengle had several tight rallies in her exhibition singles match but came up on the short end of a tough 8-2 final.

 

The Belles (13-0, 3-0 MIAA) are back on the court on Friday when they host Hope at 4:00 p.m.

 

 

 

Saint Mary's College 8, Calvin University 1

 Singles competition
1. Lucy Chamberlin (SMC) def. Tessa Holman (CALVINW) 6-4, 6-4
2. Alayna Campbell (SMC) def. Emily Schellenboom (CALVINW) 6-3, 6-3
3. Emma Kealy (SMC) def. Maggie Shoemaker (CALVINW) 6-2, 6-1
4. Leah Hosang (SMC) def. Catherine Grissom (CALVINW) 6-3, 2-6, 1-0 (10-8)
5. Kathleen McLeod (SMC) def. Lexy Ganop (CALVINW) 4-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-3)
6. Evelyn Demblans-Dechans (SMC) def. Marissa Baker (CALVINW) 6-0, 6-2

 Doubles competition
1. Emily Schellenboom/Catherine Grissom (CALVINW) def. Alayna Campbell/Emma Kealy (SMC) 8-6
2. Lucy Chamberlin/Leah Hosang (SMC) def. Tessa Holman/Julia Hooker (CALVINW) 8-4
3. Kathleen McLeod/Evelyn Demblans-Dechans (SMC) def. Maggie Shoemaker/Lexy Ganop (CALVINW) 8-5

Match Notes:
Calvin University 8-5, 1-2 MIAA
Saint Mary's College 13-0, 3-0 MIAA
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,2,1,4,6,5)
Official: Marc Bussan  T-3:43  A-55