Box Score Doubles Action

1. Simi Rao/Carrie Sun (SLC) def. Nikita Kordzielewska/Sophia Cenatiempo (PC) 8-7 (4)
2. Elaina Coppola/Sierra Blanco (PC) def. Bella Biane/Ellie O'Brian (SLC) 8-2
3. Novalie Nguyen/Kali Secrest (PC) def. Chloe Cohen/Mary DeSouza (SLC) 8-0

 
Singles Action

1. Rao (SLC) def Kordzielewska (PC) 8-4
2. Cenatiempo (PC) def. Sun (SLC) 8-4
3. Blanco (PC) def. Biane (SLC) 6-3, 7-5
4. Coppola (PC) def. Cohen (SLC) 6-0, 6-3
5. Secrest (PC) def. O'Brian (SLC) 6-3, 6-1
6. Nguyen (PC) def. Catherine Whitman (SLC) 6-2, 6-0

 
BRONXVILLE, N.Y. – Simi Rao earned two wins for the Sarah Lawrence College women's tennis team, but the Gryphons eventually fell to Purchase College 7-2 on Friday evening at the SLC Tennis Courts.
 
The Gryphons (1-5, 0-3 Skyline) still remain in contention for the fourth and final spot in the Skyline Conference postseason tournament but must win their final three conference matches against Manhattanville (0-4), Mount Saint Mary (0-2) and Yeshiva (2-3).
 
Rao demonstrated why she was a 2021 All-Conference and Rookie of the Year selection by winning the No. 1 flight in both the singles and doubles.
 
The duo of Rao and Carrie Sun narrowly defeated Purchase's Nikita Kordzielewska and Sophia Cenatiempo 8-7 (4).
 
Purchase (6-4, 3-1 Skyline) would take a 2-1 lead in the team standings and rode the momentum to take five of six singles matches.
 
The one singles match that SLC won was Rao's shortened victory of 8-4 over Kordzielewska. The match was shortened to one set after the Panthers had already wrapped up the team victory.
 
Outside of Rao's two victories, the closest the Gryphons came to taking a third point was when Bella Biane took on Purchase's Sierra Blanco, who would eventually take the match by set scores of 6-3 and 7-5 but not before Biane made Blanco work for each and every point in the match.
 
NEXT UP
SLC will take a breather from Skyline Conference play when they make the short trip to Flushing to take on The Pratt Institute at 1 p.m. EDT on Sunday, Oct. 16, from the historic USTA National Tennis Center, in a match that was originally scheduled for Oct. 2.