Bates Women's tennis drops match with No. 4 Bowdoin

Kate Rosenthal serves against Bowdoin. (Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College)

LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates women's tennis team hosted No. 4 nationally ranked Bowdoin on Wednesday and fell by a score of 9-0.

Bates fought hard in doubles against the Polar Bears. Senior Elizabeth Erbafina (Sudbury, Mass.) and first-year Bella Stone (Concord, Mass.) took a couple of points at No. 1 doubles before dropping their match to Tiffany Cheng and Joulia Likhanskaia by a score of 8-2.

At No. 2 doubles, the team of sophomore Maisie Silverman (Brunswick, Maine) and junior Kate
Rosenthal (Pittsburgh, Pa.) gave Bowdoin's Kyra Silitch and Tess Trinka all they could handle before dropping the match by a score of 8-4.

Bowdoin took all three doubles matches and kept the momentum going in singles play.

The biggest challenge to the Polar Bears in singles play was Stone at No. 3 singles. She defeated Trinka 6-4 in their first set before Trinka rallied to take set two 6-2. Trinka also prevailed 6-2 in set three to win the match.

Silverman took on Likhanskaia at No. 1 singles and the Polar Bears' top player prevailed 6-2, 6-2. Erbafina lost her match at No. 2 singles to Cheng by a count of 6-3, 6-2. 

At No. 5 singles, junior Olivia Voccola (Falmouth, Maine) didn't go down without a fight. She made Bowdoin's Maddie Rolph work for a 7-5, 6-3 win. 

Bates visits Brandeis Sunday for a non-conference match that gets started at noon.