<rleton stepped out of the MIAC for a match against the College of Saint Scholastica and continued to play exceptional tennis. The Knights improved to 4-0 in the young season and have yet to drop a singles match.
After losing their first doubles match of the season the day before, the Knights came out with a vengeance in the opening doubles matches. The three matches ended in a pair of 8-1 victories and an 8-0 sweep by first-year Sarah Thappa and senior Hannah Goldberg.
The Knights top singles players have proven to be a tough task for every team so far this year. Sophomore Kathryn Schmidt had a 6-0, 6-2 triumph in first singles, while rookie Bridget Doyle and senior Frances Leung had matching 6-1, 6-0 victories at second and third singles respectively.
“This was the best we played this year, in doubles especially,” said head coach Luciano Battaglini. “We made fewer errors, played smarter, and used the court more effectively. We’re really excited about next weekend’s matches against Macalester—a team that seems to always be a challenging match for us—and the University of Minnesota, which is a tremendous opportunity for our program to have that experience against a prestigious Division I university.”
The day before, the Knights defeated Bethel in an 8-1 affair.
The top four singles players had little trouble in their matches. Leung, Doyle, Thappa and sophomore Erin Gudul outscored their Royals opponents by a combined 48-9. Doyle was especially impressive winning 6-0, 6-1 as Carleton’s second singles player.
The match-up against Macalester is on Saturday the 27th at 2:00 p.m. at the Lifetime Fitness Center in Lakeville, Minnesota. The Knights take on the Gophers on Sunday at 4:00 p.m. at the Baseline Tennis Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota.