#63 Women's Tennis Knocks off #45 Brown, 4-3

Friday, April 15

Hanover, N.H.

3:00 PM

Dartmouth College

BROWN

4/15/2011 9:43:00 PM | Women's Tennis

By: Dartmouth

HANOVER, N.H. — In a match up of the Ivy League's two undefeated teams, the 63rd-ranked Dartmouth women's tennis team overcame a 3-1 deficit to knock off 45th-ranked Brown 4-3 on Friday at the Boss Tennis Center. The Big Green got singles victories from senior tri-captain Georgiana Smyser (Houston, Texas), freshman Melissa Matsuoka (Newport Beach, Calif.), and sophomores Sarah Leonard (Norwalk, Conn.) and Christina Danosi (New Albany, Ohio), who clinched the match at No. 6. The Big Green moved to 13-7 overall and remains in sole possession of first place in the Ivy League with a 5-0 mark, while the Bears fall to 15-7 overall and 4-1 in the conference.

Brown swept the doubles point, and Dartmouth got to work in singles with Matsuoka and Danosi winning the first sets at third and sixth, respectively. Their teammates all lost the first sets on the other four courts, and the Big Green settled in for a long battle.

Matsuoka put the first point on the board for the Big Green at No. 3 as she avenged her ECAC loss to Casey Herzberg, Brown's former No. 1 player, 6-2, 1-6, 6-3. Senior tri-captain Molly Scott (Trabuco Cyn, Calif.) could not rally after dropping the first set 7-6 and fell in straight sets to Misia Krakokowski, marking only her second Ivy League loss at the top spot. Leonard, senior Ryan Reichel (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) and Smyser all won their second sets, but Reichel was ultimately edged, 6-1, 3-6, 7-5 at fourth singles by freshman Jessica Harrow.The win put the Bears up 3-1 with Smyser, Leonard and Danosi still on the court.

Smyser notched the next point for the Big Green at fifth singles. She also avenged an ECAC loss, downing freshman Ariel Caldwell, 5-7, 6-4, 6-3. At second singles, Leonard went on to defeat perennial All-Ivy player Bianca Aboubakare, also avenging her ECAC loss to Brown's former No. 1 player. With the match deadlocked at 3-3, all eyes turned to Danosi, who was just starting a second set tiebreaker against junior Julie Flanzer at sixth singles. Danosi served and volleyed on match point and smashed away an overhead to take the tiebreaker 7-4 and clinch the victory for the Big Green. The last time the two teams played was at the ECAC Winter Championships in February, when Brown came out on top 4-3.

Dartmouth returns to action at Yale on Sunday at 12 p.m.

No. 63 Dartmouth 4, No. 45 Brown 3

Singles:
1) Molly Scott lost to Misia Krakowski: 7-6, 6-2
2) Sarah Leonard defeated Bianca Aboubakare: 4-6, 6-2, 6-3
3) Melissa Matsuoka defeated Casey Herzberg: 6-2, 1-6, 6-3
4) Ryan Reichel lost to Jessica Harrow: 6-1, 3-6, 7-5
5) Georgiana Smyser defeated Ariel Caldwell: 5-7, 6-4, 6-3
6) Christina Danosi defeated Julie Flanzer: 7-6, 7-6

Doubles:
1) Scott/Matsuoka lost to Aboubakare/Harrow: 8-5
2) R. Reichel/Smyser lost to Caldwell/Herzberg: 8-6
3) Jeri Reichel/Danosi lost to Flanzer/Krakowski: 8-3