Franklin, Ind. - The Franklin College women's tennis team improved to 5-1 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action with a 9-0 victory over Earlham College on Tuesday at Grizzly Park.

Franklin (6-3) quickly grabbed a 3-0 advantage with victories in the three doubles matches. The team of sophomore Melissa Sanders (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North) and junior Bethany Harris (Avon, Ind./Avon) recorded an 8-2 triumph at No. 1 doubles. Sophomore Chelsea Howell (West Harrison, Ind./Franklin County) and freshman Alison Meyer (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) won at No. 2 doubles 9-7. The doubles tandem of freshman Chelsea Helvie (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) and sophomore Chelsea Platt (Shelbyville, Ind./Morristown) did not drop a game to round out the doubles lineup.

In singles, Sanders dropped only two games in winning at No. 1 singles. Harris earned a 6-4, 6-1 victory at the No. 2 singles position. Sophomore Emily Roberts (Franklin, Ind./Edinburgh) was victorious at No. 3 singles. Other singles winners were Howell 6-1, 6-0 at the No. 4 position; sophomore Shawnee Bayes (Lexington, Ind./Austin) 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 singles and freshman Emily Leonard (Franklin, Ind./Franklin Community) won a third-set tiebreaker 10-4 at No. 6 singles.

Franklin returns to action on Sunday, October 13 when it travels to Transylvania University in Lexington, Kentucky.