The Mount Ida College women's tennis team kicked off their second year as a varsity program traveling to non-conference Lesley University falling in a very close match 5-4. The Mustangs fall to 0-1 on the season.
Doubles started the match with the Mustangs number one team of Emilie Cloutier (Lewiston, ME/Lewiston) and Jessica Lindquist (Killingworth, CT/Haddam-Killingworth) teamed to beat a good team from Lesley of Mullen/Memlies 8-4.
Freshman Veronica Williams and Melissa Smith, number two doubles for Mount Ida, won a close match 8-7 as Lesley defaulted due to injury. Veronica Dicciccio and Nanouma Joachin (Lynn, MA/Classical) lost in number three doubles to Smith/Donovan 8-2.
Mount Ida led 2-1 going into singles. Cloutier won her first singles match of her college career coming back from 3-0 down to win 12 straight games 6-3, 6-0. Williams lost a tough first set at 7-5 and then 6-0 at number two. Lindquist lost 6-2, 7-6 (7-4 tiebreaker), Smith lost 6-0, 6-2, Veronica Dicciccio lost at number five at 6-4, 6-0 and Freshman Nanouma Joachin won by default for Mount Ida as the number six.
"A close match first match showed we are a stronger team than last year and will play better and better as we move towards the GNAC Conference Matches," said head coach John Nestel.
The Mustangs will travel to Becker College this coming Monday for more non-conference action starting at 3:30 p.m.