NEW LONDON, N.H. - April 10, 2013 - The Colby-Sawyer College women's tennis team fell to Merrimack College, 6-3 in a nonconference contest Wednesday afternoon.

Merrimack improves to 6-11 with the win, while Colby-Sawyer suffers just its third loss of the season and falls to 17-3.

The No. 1 doubles team of Claire Toffey (Barnstable, Mass.) and Liz Lincoln (Plymouth, Mass.) gave Colby-Sawyer a 1-0 lead after easily defeating Alyx Barnes (Portsmouth, N.H.) and Shakee Messina (Caracas, Venezuela), 8-0. Rachel Muller (North Andover, Mass.) and Katie Veasey (Atkinson, N.H.) knotted the score at 1-1 with their 8-4 win at No. 3 doubles over Colby-Sawyer's Charlotte Horton (South Hamilton, Mass.) and Oxana Tkachenko (Lviv, Ukraine). Merrimack's No. 2 team of Kara Hole (Portsmouth, R.I.) and Mollie Fitzgerald (Melrose, Mass.) outlasted Donna Gordon (Essex Junction, Vt.) and Ashlyn Ramsay (Barkhamstead, Conn.), 9-8 to give the Warriors a 2-1 edge after doubles play.

Messina, Muller, and freshman Tiana Dame (Wachusett, Mass.) each won their singles matches in straight sets. Fitzgerald fell behind 6-1 to Donna Gordon at the fifth flight, before winning the next two sets 6-4, 10-7 to secure the victory for Merrimack.

Ramsay picked up a 6-4, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles over Merrimack's Kara Hole. Colby-Sawyer's Claire Toffey earned the Chargers their third point of the match with a 6-0, 6-2 win over Barnes in the No. 4 slot.

The Chargers will have one more home contest against Wheaton on April 21 before heading to Latham, N.Y. for the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) crossover championship. Merrimack returns to Northeast-10 play on Friday at American International.

Merrimack 6, Colby-Sawyer 3
04/10/13 at New London, N.H. (Kelsey Courts) 

Singles competition

1. Shakee Messina (MC) def. Liz Lincoln (CSC) 6-0, 6-2

2. Ashlyn Ramsay (CSC) def. Kara Hole (MC) 6-4, 6-3

3. Rachel Muller (MC) def. Charlotte Horton (CSC) 6-1, 6-3

4. Claire Toffey (CSC) def. Alyx Barnes (MC) 6-0, 6-2

5. Mollie Fitzgerald (MC) def. Donna Gordon (CSC) 1-6, 6-4, 10-7

6. Tiane Dame (MC) def. Oxana Tkachenko (CSC) 6-3, 6-4

Doubles competition

1. Claire Toffey/Liz Lincoln (CSC) def. Alyx Barnes/Shakee Messina (MC) 8-0

2. Kara Hole/Mollie Fitzgerald (MC) def. Donna Gordon/Ashlyn Ramsay (CSC) 9-8 (7-3)

3. Rachel Muller/Katie Veasey (MC) def. Charlotte Horton/Oxana Tkachenko (CSC) 8-4

Match Notes

Merrimack 5-11

Colby-Sawyer 17-2

T-3:00 A-25