NORTH NEWTON, Kan. — The Bethel College women's tennis team capped off a spectacular regular season with a resounding 6-1 victory over Friends University on Thursday afternoon.
With the decisive win, Bethel concludes its regular season with a phenomenal 16-2 overall record and a near-perfect 11-1 mark in conference play. The stellar campaign has officially secured the team the No. 2 seed heading into the upcoming conference tournament.
The match against Friends kicked off at 4:00 PM EDT on April 16, with Bethel immediately establishing control by sweeping the doubles competition. Patty Huerta and Ximena Raya were the first to finish, cruising past Carlotta Klee and Emma Sargeant 6-2 in the No. 2 doubles slot. Kate Rowland and Grace Dawes swiftly followed at No. 3 doubles, clinching the doubles point for Bethel with an identical 6-2 win over Tammy-Ann Lombarth and Cha'Lyse Andrews. Sara Ladino and Daniela Casique completed the doubles sweep for the Threshers at the No. 1 flight, defeating Aneth Diaz and Silva Avakian 6-4
Bethel's dominance carried straight into singles play, where the team won five of the six flights. Sara Ladino battled through a tight 7-6 first set at No. 2 singles before shutting out Aneth Diaz 6-0 in the second set. Ximena Raya put on a dominant display at No. 3 singles, taking down Carlotta Klee 6-2, 6-1.
Grace Dawes mirrored that exact scoreline at No. 4 singles, defeating Emma Sargeant 6-2, 6-1. At No. 5 singles, Patty Huerta blanked her opponent in the first set before holding on for a 6-0, 7-5 victory over Tammy-Ann Lombarth. Rounding out the scoring for Bethel was Charis Yager at No. 6 singles, who fought off Alana Ewert in a first-set tiebreaker to win 7-6, 6-2.
Friends' sole point of the match came at No. 1 singles, where Silva Avakian earned a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Bethel's Daniela Casique.
The No. 2 seeded Threshers will not have to wait long to see Friends again. Bethel is slated for an immediate rematch against the Falcons in the first round of the conference tournament. The postseason showdown is scheduled for this Wednesday at 9:00 AM at Smoky Valley High School.
