Playing without their number one or two singles players who were out with the flu, Westmont women’s tennis (4-6) suffered a 6-3 loss to the Tigers of Occidental (3-7) on Tuesday afternoon at the Abbott Tennis Courts.
In doubles action, Kristen Lee and Christina Klein teamed up for an 8-2 win on the number one court over Krishnaveni Subbiah and Jennifer Wahba
“The doubles was very fun,” said Lee. “Christina and I actually haven’t played together for the last two matches. (Head coach) Kathy (LeSage) has been working different combinations. We call each other ‘Ying’ and ‘Yang’. Absence makes the heart grow fonder so we just had a lot of fun out there. We were working the points really well.”
At number two doubles, the Tigers’ Marissa Cassman and Taylor Kaplan posted an 8-1 win over Sarah Chhum and Sarah Kamida. On the number three court, Katrina Gould and Frances Hutton of Occidental defeated Sarah Louie and Audrey Seversen by a score of 8-0.
Westmont picked up its other two points and number one and two singles. At number one, Lee defeated Subbiah 6-2, 6-1.
“My opponent was pretty solid,” said Lee after the match. “She was hitting a flatter ball and liked pace a lot. She moved well and I had to be on my toes all the time. She was definitely picking my backhand.
“I like hitting power hitters, it fits into my game pretty well,” continued Lee. “Kathy was reminding me over and over to change it up. Once I did that, it worked well, especially in the second set. She was working me pretty hard but I felt like I was right there with her.”
At number two, Klein earned a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Wahba.
“The first set was a lot easier,” noted Klein. “The second set I didn’t play as well and let her more into the match. It was kind of frustrating. I was more consistent in the end and controlled my frustration.”
At number three singles, Kamida and Cassman played long points with Cassman prevailing 6-3, 6-1. The longest match of the game came at number four where Kaplan defeated Louie 2-6, 6-2, 6-2.
Gould won for Occidental at number five, defeating Chhum 6-0, 6-0. On the number six court, Seversen made her collegiate debut in singles but fell to Hutton 6-0, 6-2.
The Warriors return to action on Saturday, March 14 when they travel to Costa Mesa to take on #11 Vanguard (3-5, 3-4).
OCCIDENTAL 6 WESTMONT 3
Singles
#1 – Kristen Lee (WC) def. Krishnaveni Subbiah (OC) 6-2, 6-1
#2 – Christina Klein (WC) def. Jennifer Wahba (OC) 6-1, 7-5
#3 – Marissa Cassman (OC) def. Sarah Kamida (WC) 6-3, 6-1
#4 – Taylor Kaplan (OC) def. Sarah Louie (WC) 2-6, 6-2, 6-2
#5 – Katrina Gould (OC) def. Sarah Chhum (WC) 6-0, 6-0
#6 – Frances Hutton (OC) def. Audrey Seversen (WC) 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
#1 – Kristen Lee / Christina Klein (WC) def. Krishnaveni Subbiah/Jennifer Wahba (OC) 8-2
#2 – Marissa Cassman /Taylor Kaplan (OC) def. Sarah Chhum / Sarah Kamida (WC) 8-1
#3 – Katrina Gould /Frances Hutton (OC) def. Sarah Louie / Audrey Seversen (WC) 8-0
