Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
Aug. 27, 2022 - Kicking off their 2022-23 season, the North Central College women's tennis team won all four of their matches at the North Central Invitational on Saturday as they beat Illinois Institute of Technology, Concordia University Chicago, and Lake Forest College 9-0 and the University of Dubuque all by a score of 7-2.
Squaring off with the Scarlet Hawks in the first match of the day, Abigail Penados and Kensington Payne earned their first collegiate wins as they rolled to an 8-1 win in No. 1 doubles. The duos of Natalie Bassett/Mikayla Edquiban and Anastasia Bozovic/Ellie Gallagher both secured 8-0 victories in doubles play.
Bassett, Payne, Bozovic, and Gallager all swept their singles opponents 6-0, 6-0 while Penados won 6-1, 6-3 at No. 1 and Anna Fox completed the sweep with a 6-1, 6-1 victory at the No. 6 spot.
In the Cardinals' second match of the day, Kayla McSweeney and Nina Patience picked up their first wins of the season at No. 1 doubles with Bozovic and Liveta Ezerskis winning a tight 8-6 contest at the No. 2 position. Gallagher teamed up with Sophia Drozd for an 8-1 win at No. 3 doubles. Patience battled to a 6-1, 3-6, 10-6 win at No. 1 singles while the rest of the Cardinals won in straight sets.
Winning their third match of the day, North Central downed Lake Forest 9-0. The tandem of Penados/Payne secured an 8-1 win with Bassett/Edquiban winning 8-2 and Patience/McSweeney winning 8-1 in doubles action.
Penados won her second match at the No. 1 spot with Bassett locking up a 6-1, 7-5 win at No. 2. Edquiban held off Sara Lopez of Lake Forest 7-6 before winning the second set 6-1 in the No. 3 singles position. McSweeney clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 6 singles. Payne and Patience secured the sweep with their singles wins.
The Cardinals swept doubles play for the fourth straight match before Ezerskis won 6-2, 6-1 at No. 1 singles. Anna Fox rolled to a 6-3, 6-2 victory at No. 3 as Gallagher and Laura Fox earned wins by forfeit.
North Central opens up College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin play in their next match as the Cardinals visit Carroll University on Saturday at 9 AM.
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