CASTLETON, Vt. – Senior
Chloe Ahern (Middleton, Mass.) and junior
Lauryn Corrigan (Littleton, N.H.) each won a pair of matches as Plymouth State University topped Vermont State University Castleton, 5-2, in a Little East Conference (LEC) women's tennis match at the Castleton Tennis Courts on Wednesday afternoon.
With the win, Plymouth State clinched a berth in next week's LEC Tournament. The Panthers could earn the No. 3, No. 4 or No. 5 seed, depending on the results of the remaining league matches.
Ahern and Corrigan teamed for a 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles before each earned a straight-set victory in singles play, helping the Panthers return to the postseason after a one-year hiatus.
Plymouth State improves to 8-4 (4-3 LEC), while the Spartans fall to 5-7 (2-5 LEC).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 5, Castleton 2
- Plymouth State (8-4, 4-3 LEC)
- Castleton (5-7, 2-5 LEC)
How it Happened:
- Ahern and Corrigan rolled to a 6-1 win at No. 1 doubles, while senior Sofia Orama (Marlborough, Conn.) and sophomore Sidney Huff (Port Orchard, Wash.) earned a matching 6-1 victory at No. 2 doubles to secure the doubles point for the Panthers.
- Castleton claimed the win at No. 3 doubles, 6-4, as senior Anyah Fields (San Diego, Calif.) and sophomore Leela Bakhshi (Plymouth, N.H.) suffered just their third doubles loss as a pair on the season.
- Corrigan continued her strong day with a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 2 singles, while Bakhshi added a 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 5 to extend the Panthers' lead to 3-0.
- Castleton earned a point with a win at No. 4 singles, but Ahern sealed the team victory with a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 1.
- Orama defaulted at No. 3 singles, but Fields prevailed at No. 6, 6-3, 6-4, to account for the final score.
By the Numbers:
- Fields earned her ninth singles win, the most for a Panther since Tessa LaBarre went 12-3 during the 2021-22 season.
- Ahern and Corrigan improved to 7-4 as a doubles team, while Orama and Huff also improved to 7-4 as a duo. All three current pairings – Ahern and Corrigan, Orama and Huff, and Fields and Bakhshi – have earned seven doubles wins.
- The Panthers have won 13 straight matches against Castleton.
- Plymouth State improves to 28-6 in the all-time series.
Up Next:
- Plymouth State travels to Bridgewater State for the regular-season finale on Saturday (Oct. 17) at 1 p.m.
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