CLAREMONT, Calif. -- Tenth-ranked Pomona-Pitzer nearly opened the spring season with a shutout before settling for an 8-1 win against Chapman on Friday at the Pauley Tennis Complex.
Lea Lynn Yen won her singles match 6-0, 6-0 at No. 4, after rallying back from a 6-3 deficit with doubles partner Sammy Chao to win 8-6 at No. 1 doubles. The Sagehens easily won the other two doubles lines, with sophomore Marie Fleming and freshman Rosemary Pelch winning 8-3 at No. 2, and sophomore Mae Coyiuto and senior Arthi Padmanabhan winning 8-2 at No. 3.
Pelch was perhaps the most dominant Sagehen on the day, taking a 6-0, 6-1 win at No. 6 singles after an 8-3 win in doubles, while also providing the clinching point that gave Pomona-Pitzer a 5-0 lead. Padmanabhan follwed with a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 4 singles and Chao also earned a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 1 to push the lead to 7-0.
Coyiuto dropped the first set at No. 2 singles to Chapman's Rachel Fox 6-4, but bounced back to win the next two sets 6-3 and 6-2 for a three-set win. Sophia Duong provided the lone point for Chapman in the final match to be completed, winning 7-6, 2-6, 7-6 against Fleming, with both tiebreakers being decided by a narrow 7-5 margin.
