On Wednesday afternoon, the Navy women’s tennis team defeated host Loyola, extending their winning streak to nine matches and remaining undefeated in the Patriot League. Sophomore Emily Tannenbaum set a new single-season program record for combined wins, surpassing Logan Antill’s mark from 2013 with her 49th combined win of the season.
Tannenbaum achieved the record with a victory at the No. 1 singles spot, giving her 28 singles wins in 2022-23 to go with 21 doubles victories. The Mids’ winning streak marks their longest streak of the season after winning eight consecutive dual matches from Jan. 21 to Feb. 18 earlier this spring.
Although Loyola claimed its lone point of the afternoon by taking two of three doubles matches, the Greyhounds were unable to match Navy in the singles matches. Navy’s Kate Lee and Sylvia Eklund secured victories on the fifth and sixth singles courts, respectively, while junior Samantha Johns beat Katie Moorhead on the No. 4 court. Senior captain Casey Accola then clinched Navy’s ninth-straight win when she defeated Liza Tankimovich by a 6-4, 6-2 score in the No. 3 hole.
Tannenbaum needed three sets to defeat Lauren Manwiller in the top spot, but eventually got the record-breaking win via a 6-1, 4-6, 6-1 score, while Sia Chaudry completed the singles sweep when she notched a 6-2, 4-6, 10-7 victory against Christine Richiez at the No. 2 matchup.
“It was good to get another Patriot League win today,” said Navy Head Coach Keith Puryear. “Loyola always does a good job of being prepared to play against us, but we battled well while Coach Ale and I have given the ladies feedback on what we need to continue to focus on for our future competitions.”
“While this is a team event and we all rise together, it’s important to acknowledge Emily’s accomplishments, as winning 49 matches in a season is tough,” Puryear continued. “She plays No. 1 for singles and doubles, and week in and week out she’s pitted against everyone’s top player, meaning you’ve got to bring it every match. I think that’s the true meaning of her breaking the record, it’s her ability to compete every single match. Win or lose, she always willing to compete and put herself on the line. Her teammates and the coaching staff are appreciative of her efforts and congratulate her for the milestone.”
Navy’s win against Loyola improves their all-time series record to 14-0. The Mids’ nine-match win streak is tied for the fifth-longest winning stretch in program history.
Tannenbaum’s 15 wins at the No. 1 position this season also match Erin Snook’s program-record 15 wins at the top spot during the 2014 season. Her 28 singles victories this season put her one shy of matching Amanda Keller’s single-season program-record 29 wins during singles competition in 2015. With 23 singles wins this season, Chaudry needs just one more to move into a tie for sixth place in the program’s single-season record book.
Accola and Chaudry have now won their last three doubles matches as a pairing, while Tannenbaum has won her last eight singles matches. Accola is on a seven-match singles win streak and Eklund has a five-win singles streak following Wednesday’s action.
Navy will close out the regular season by hosting Patriot League foe Boston University