SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The 19th-ranked Brandeis University women's tennis team opened its spring season with a 5-2 loss on the road at Division I Bryant University. The Judges fall to 0-1 on the season, while the Bulldogs improve to 3-1.
The match was played under Division I rules, which include no-ad scoring and the three doubles matches counting for only one point.
This last rule meant the Judges received just one point despite sweeping the doubles matches. At the No. 1 spot, senior Olivia Leavitt (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) teamed with sophomore Lauren Bertsch (Middletown, R.I./LaSalle Academy) for a 6-4 win. At No. 2, senior Keren Khromchenko (Manalapan, N.J./ Academy of Allied Health and Science) was joined by junior Diana Dehterevich (Minsk, Belarus / Secondary School #185 of Minsk), who made her dual-match debut for the Judges after transferring but missing her sophomore season to injury. The pairing produced a 7-5 victory. At No. 3, senior Sophia He (Poughkeepsie, N.Y./Spackenkill) and rookie Ana Hatfield (Rockford, Ill./Boylan Central Catholic) completed the sweep with a 7-6 win.
In singles action, Brandeis's lone win came at No. 6, where senior Michele Lehat (Great Neck , N.Y. / John L. Miller Great Neck North) won in three sets, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4. Khromchenko also went to a third set super-tiebreaker at No. 3, but ultimately fell, 4-6, 7-5, 10-4. Dehterevich played a competitive match at No. 1, falling 6-4, 6-4, while Leavitt's match at No. 2 was also tight at 6-4, 6-3. He had a narrow 7-5 loss in the first set at No. 5 before dropping the second 6-0. Bertsch suffered a 6-2, 6-1 loss at No. 4.
Brandeis returns to action later this month when they head West for their annual February break trip to California. The Judges will meet CalTech on Feb. 18, #26 Redlands on Feb. 20 and top-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Feb. 23.