COLLEGEVILLE, Pa. – Maddie Sorebo's gripping victory in a third-set super tiebreaker handed the Ursinus College women's tennis team a pulse-pounding victory over Lebanon Valley and a sweep of its home opener on Saturday.
Sorebo dropped the second set, 6-0, at sixth singles before coming up with the right stuff in the extra session to cap a thrilling day of action on the Bailey Courts. Ursinus opened the home season with a 9-0 sweep of Rutgers-Camden.
Ursinus 9, Rutgers-Camden 0
With the Scarlet Raptors bringing only four players to Collegeville, the Bears' first match comprised just five courts. Only one featured a set closer than 6-1 in singles.
Seniors Aileen BeVard and Ashley Nguyen ripped off an 8-1 victory at number one doubles, while senior Ariel Danziger and freshman Madisen Harvey capped the sweep with an 8-3 result at number two.
Nguyen, Danziger, and Harvey were all 6-1, 6-1 winners at second through fourth singles, respectively. BeVard's 6-3, 6-1 triumph on the top court was the closest of the morning.
Ursinus 5, Lebanon Valley 4
The second half of the Bears' twin bill featured plenty of drama. BeVard and Nguyen staked the home side to an early lead with an 8-3 defeat of Marla Scacchitti and Melanie Haas at first doubles before Danziger and Harvey made it 2-0 by downing Sammy Bost and Megan Williams by an 8-4 spread at number two.
Lebanon Valley eked out an 8-6 result at third doubles to get on the board.
BeVard handed Ursinus a 3-1 advantage with her 45th career singles win, a 6-2, 6-1 defeat of Scacchitti at number one. The Dutchmen pulled one back at third singles, but Nguyen's 6-2, 6-4 victory over Haas on the second court put the Bears within one court of a win.
The Bears had to wait for that fifth result to go their way, as the visitors got the better of the action on the fourth and fifth courts.
That set up a winner-take-all showdown between Sorebo and Meridyth Sanders, which fittingly went the distance. Sorebo won the first set, 6-4, before Sanders shut her out in the second and forced a deciding super tiebreaker. The Bears' rookie had the goods when it counted, improving to 3-0 on her young career with a 10-7 clincher.
The 5-4 victory was the second of the season for Ursinus, which also edged Saint Anselm by the same score in Florida.
With three victories for the day, Danziger now has 91 for her career and is nine away from matching the all-time program record. She owns 49 doubles victories, two shy of the school standard.
Up Next
The Bears heads to Moravian for a non-conference match on Wednesday.