The third-ranked Emory University women’s tennis team earned a win over a NCAA Division I opponent on Thursday afternoon, defeating Murray State University 7-2 at the Woodruff P.E. Center.

With the win, Emory’s first this season in two tries against a NCAA Division I opponent, the Eagles improved to 8-2 on the campaign.  Murray State dropped to 4-9 for the year with the loss.

For the second-straight match and sixth time overall this spring season, the Eagles swept all three doubles matches.  Finishing first was Emory’s second doubles team of junior Zahra Dawson and sophomore Jordan Wylie, who claimed an 8-4 win over the Racers’ Alexis Webb and Carla Suga, improving to 2-0 together on the season.  Also improving to 2-0 were freshman Gabrielle Clark and senior Lorne McManigle, who earned an 8-6 win over Ashley Canty and Cassidy Cunitz in the first doubles match.  Rounding out the sweep were freshmen Brenna Kelly and Malavika Padmanabhan, who won in a hard-fought tiebreaker, 9-8 (7-4), over Lindsey Wiseman and Taylor Vick in the third doubles contest.  Padmanabhan and Kelly are now a perfect 7-0 together this season.

Clark opened up singles play for Emory with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Cunitz in first singles, improving to 13-4 on the season and giving the Eagles a 4-0 lead in the match.  Kelly, playing in the sixth singles match, would clinch the victory shortly thereafter for Emory, topping Murray State’s Ashley Pierson 6-3, 6-4 to improve to 5-2 on the year.

Other singles results after the match was already decided include McManigle’s 6-2, 7-5 loss to Ashley Canty in the second singles match, Dawson’s 7-6 (7-2), 6-2 win in the third singles contest, a 6-4, 7-5 loss for Padmanabhan to Webb in the fourth singles match, and a 2-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7-5) come-from-behind win for Laura Callava in fifth singles.

The win was the eighth-consecutive victory for the Eagles, who have not lost a match since February 13^th.

Also occurring on Thursday was the release of the latest Campbell/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) College Tennis Rankings.  Emory remained ranked third in the Nation (behind top-ranked Amherst and second-ranked Williams) and first in the Atlantic South Region.  In the individual rankings, Clark rose to the top of the singles rankings in the region, while Wylie is ranked third, McManigle eighth, and Dawson ninth.  In the doubles rankings, Clark and Wylie ranked as the region’s third doubles pairing, while Dawson and McManigle are ranked fifth.

Emory will return to action on Saturday against another NCAA Division I opponent, as the Eagles will head to Spartanburg, SC to face Wofford College at 3:00 PM.