The Emory University Women's Tennis team, ranked third in Division III, opened its weekend on a strong note, defeating ninth-ranked Middlebury College 7-2 in Middlebury, Vermont on Friday afternoon.

Emory now stands at 9-3 this season after the win, coming in the first of three matches against top 10 ranked opponents on the road this weekend.  Middlebury dropped to 7-3 for the season with the loss.

Emory jumped out to an early lead in the match, sweeping the three doubles matches.  At no. 1 doubles, the Eagles' duo of junior Gabrielle Clark and freshman Annette Sullivan defeated Brittney Faber and Leah Kepping 8-5.  Emory's other two pairings each followed with 8-4 victories, with senior Jordan Wylie and freshman Madison Gordon besting Lok-Sze Leung and Ria Gerger in the second doubles match, and freshman Emma Taylor and junior Brenna Kelly earning a third-singles win over Lauren Amos and Margot Marchese.

Meanwhile, it was the backend of the Eagles' singles lineup that secured the victory for Emory.  Freshman Beatrice Rosen defeated Marchese at no. 3 singles, 6-4, 6-1, while Wylie followed with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Dorrie Paradies at fourth singles.  At fifth singles, Gordon earned a 6-2, 6-0 win over Katie Paradies, and Kelly rounded out the win with a 6-4, 6-1 win over Lauren Amos at sixth singles.

Emory's two losses of the match came at first singles, where Clark suffered a rare defeat, falling 6-3, 6-1 to Leung, and at second singles, where freshman Marissa Levine dropped a 6-3, 6-4 decision to Gerger.

The Eagles will resume their New England trip on Saturday, traveling to Williamstown, Massachusetts for a neutral-site match against eighth-ranked Bowdoin College at 1:00 PM.