Grinnell College's women's tennis team worked past a pair of opponents Sunday in Beloit, Wis., topping St. Norbert College 5-4 and then beating Beloit College 6-3.
Constanza Alarcon '13 (pictured) returned to Grinnell's lineup after being injured and went on to post a perfect 4-0 mark on the day. Other singles winners for Grinnell against St. Norbert were Tatyana Sukharnikova '12, Kelsey Picken '10 and Elizabeth Spears '11. All four swept their foes in two sets, with Alarcon and Sukharnikova losing just one game along the way and Picken only two. In doubles play, Grinnell got a victory from Alarcon and Catherine Fitch '13.
In the win over Beloit, singles winners for Grinnell were Alarcon, Sukharnikova, Picken and Spears. All won in two sets. Doubles winners were the teams of Alarcon-Fitch and Jill Akiyama '10-Picken.
"After going down 2-1 against St. Norbert in doubles, I was pleased to see the women play well in singles with their backs against the wall," said Grinnell coach Andy Hamilton. "In particular I thought Kelsey Picken played a very strong match against St. Norbert and continued her success against Beloit. Liza Spears was steady as usual and keeps putting points on the board for our team.
"In the Beloit match, we were able to win two of three doubles which gave us a little breathing room for singles," he added. "Again, it's a testament to our lineup that we were able to go out and win four singles matches. It was great to have Constanza Alarcon back into both our singles and doubles lineup. Her 4-0 mark on the day suggests she's getting back to her high level of play."
Grinnell, 13-2 on the season, closes out regular-season play
Grinnell 5, St. Norbert 4
Grinnell 6, Beloit 3
