Cardinals Secure Much Needed NESCAC Win at Conn. College to Keep Tourney Hopes Alive

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Needing a win at Conn. College Sat., April 17 to both insure themselves of double-digit triumphs and keep their NESCAC playoff hopes alive, the Cardinals got a 5-4 victory to up their seasonal mark to 10-3 with four regular-season matches remaining. Wesleyan is 2-3 in conference action. The Cardinals had four consecutive 11-win seasons entering the 2009-10 campaign. They have now extended their school-record streak of double-digit win seasons to five. Prior to 2005-06, when the current streak began, Wesleyan had enjoyed just three seasons with double-digit triumphs, two of them coming back-to-back from 1997-99.

Wesleyan carried a 2-1 margin after doubles play into the singles matches, thanks to a win at #2 from the tandem of Genevieve Aniello '13 (left side of photo) and Linda McDougal '11 along with a #3 win from Casey Simchik '10 (right side of photo) and Taylor Morales '13.

When Aniello, at #3 singles, and Simchik, at #6, joined #2 Sarah Miller '12 with straight-set singles victories, Wesleyan clinched a team conquest. The win evened Wesleyan's all-time record vs. the Camels at 18-18 and was the squad's third consecutive victory over Conn. after breaking a four-match losing streak in 2007.

Next up for the team is a match at NESCAC leader Amherst Sat., April 24. Amherst is riding a 27-match win streak vs. Wesleyan as the only Cardinal victory in the 30-match history of the series came back in 1980.