WELLESLEY, Mass. – With several members of the team still affected by COVID-19, the 36th-ranked women's tennis team were upset at Babson, 5-4. With the loss, the Judges fall to 3-7 while the Beavers, coached by former Brandeis assistant coach Mike Kopelman, improve to 3-5.
Brandeis took a 2-1 lead after doubles action. After Babson won the first match at #3, 8-4, the first-year pairing of Bhakti Parwani (Ahmedabad, India / Kumkum School) and Sabrina Loui (Honolulu, Hawaii / Punahou School) evened things up with an 8-4 win at #1. That left first-year Anastasia Sia (Thessaloniki, Greece / Anatolia College) and sophomore Ella Subramanian (Parkland, Fla./Laurel Springs) to give the Judges the lead with an 8-3 win at #2.
In singles action, Babson took the lead with the first two matches to finish. Morgan Mann topped Brandeis senior Summer Quinn (Los Angeles, Calif. / Campbell Hall Episcopal), 6-2, 6-1, at #6, followed by Olivia Soffer avenging her doubles loss with a 7-5, 6-0, win at #1 singles. The Beavers moved within one win of the upset at #3, where Jane Wang knocked off Subramanian, 6-4, 6-1.
Brandeis got their first singles win with a long two-set match at #2, where Loui defeated Juliette Moschella, 7-6, 7-5. The final two matches went to three sets. Babson ultimately prevailed with a win at #5, where Runsi Patrio outlasted Brandeis senior Olivia Howe (Cary, N.C. / Crossroads Flex), 6-3, 3-6, 6-0. Brandeis closed out the match with Sia defeating Emily Stouch for the second time, 6-3, 0-6, 6-3.
Brandeis returns to action next Sunday at 10 a.m. with a home match against UAA rival NYU.