Women's Tennis 4/17/2017 11:00:00 PM

Blue Jays slip past Marauders, extend winning streak to five

Results

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. -- Elizabethtown withstood an early push in singles from NCAA Division II Millersville on Monday at the Alumni Courts, holding off the Marauders, 5-4, for their fifth consecutive victory.

Meghan Chemidlin, Lenea Riehl and Laura Gribble were winners for the Blue and Gray in both doubles and singles competition.

Chemidlin bumped up to third singles for the first time all season, but kept on rolling. The sophomore from Stewartsville, New Jersey, reached 50 career combined victories by outperforming Kimberly Theophile 6-2, 6-1 for her 11th straight singles triumph.

Chemidlin is a team-best 14-1 in singles (32-4 career) and is one of only two Blue Jays (7-4) to have reached double figures in doubles wins as well, where she's now 10-3 on the season after teaming with Riehl to handle Theophile and Kelley Hershey, 8-1, at No. 2, Monday.

Riehl, who swapped places with Chemidlin in coach Eric Fritzges' lineup, fought back from a set down to win her debut at No. 4, 4-6, 6-1, 6-2 against Millersville's (4-15) Haley Nauman and clinch the match for Elizabethtown.

Gribble and senior Brooke Hillriegel matched up for the first time this season, playing third doubles against Nauman and Molly Kulp. It was a successful first match together for the two E-town players, as they emerged with a 9-7 victory.

Gribble went on to defeat Hershey 6-4, 6-1 at fifth singles.

Millersville, under the direction of former E-town head coach Matt Helsel, the winningest coach in program history with 188 victories and 10 conference championships, got two wins apiece from its top two players: Katina Jones and Sarah Sambrick.

The tandem knocked off Helsel's daughter, Taylor Helsel, and senior teammate Madison McCall, 8-6, at first doubles and won their individual matches at first and second singles, respectively.

For Taylor Helsel and McCall, the loss was their first together in four matches this season.

Freshman Sarah Donner also drew into the lineup for the first time since March 10 and just the second time in her young career. Donner fell to Jessica Soullaird 6-3, 6-0 at sixth singles.

Elizabethtown will play three straight Landmark Conference matches to cap the regular season, starting with Wednesday's home contest against Moravian at 4 p.m.

Elizabethtown 5, Millersville 4
April 17, 2017 at Elizabethtown, Pa. (Alumni Courts)

Singles competition

1. Katina Jones (MILL) def. Taylor Helsel (ETOWN) 6-1, 6-2

2. Sarah Sambrick (MILL) def. Madison McCall (ETOWN) 5-7, 6-2, 6-3

3. Meghan Chemidlin (ETOWN) def. Kimberly Theophile (MILL) 6-2, 6-1

4. Lenea Riehl (ETOWN) def. Haley Nauman (MILL) 4-6, 6-1, 6-2

5. Laura Gribble (ETOWN) def. Kelley Hershey (MILL) 6-4, 6-1

6. Jessica Soullaird (MILL) def. Sarah Donner (ETOWN) 6-3, 6-0

Doubles competition

1. Katina Jones/Sarah Sambrick (MILL) def. Taylor Helsel/Madison McCall (ETOWN) 8-6

2. Meghan Chemidlin/Lenea Riehl (ETOWN) def. Kimberly Theophile/Kelley Hershey (MILL) 8-1

3. Laura Gribble/Brooke Hillriegel (ETOWN) def. Haley Nauman/Molly Kulp (MILL) 9-7

Match Notes

Millersville 4-15

Elizabethtown 7-4

Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (1,3,2,5,4,6)

Elizabethtown - NCAA Division III; Millersville - NCAA Division II

T-4:50 A-75

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Players Mentioned

Meghan Chemidlin: 5' 3"; Sophomore

Laura Gribble: 5' 3"; Sophomore

Taylor Helsel: 5' 4"; Senior

Brooke Hillriegel: 5' 6"; Senior

Madison McCall: 5' 2"; Senior

Lenea Riehl: 5' 5"; Freshman

Sarah Donner: 5' 3"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Meghan Chemidlin
: 5' 3"; Sophomore

Laura Gribble
: 5' 3"; Sophomore

Taylor Helsel
: 5' 4"; Senior

Brooke Hillriegel
: 5' 6"; Senior

Madison McCall
: 5' 2"; Senior

Lenea Riehl
: 5' 5"; Freshman

Sarah Donner
: 5' 3"; Freshman