North Manchester, Ind. - The Franklin College women's tennis team won its third consecutive Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) match by an 8-1 score, defeating Manchester University on Saturday.

The Grizzlies have also defeated Transylvania University and Anderson University by 8-1 scores to start league play.

Franklin (3-1) swept all three doubles matches to grab early momentum. Junior Melissa Sanders (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North) teamed with junior Chelsea Howell (West  Harrison, Ind./Franklin County) to drop only two games in winning at the No. 1 position. Seniors Becky Bonomini (Lawrenceburg, Ind./East Central) and Julie Bazan (St. Louis, Mo./Villa Duchesne) picked up an 8-1 triumph on the No. 3 court.

Senior Bethany Harris (Avon, Ind./Avon) and sophomore Emily Helvie (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) won 8-5 at No. 2 doubles to round out the strong doubles play.

In singles, Harris won in straight sets by identical 6-1 scores on the No. 2 court. Junior Emily Roberts (Franklin, Ind./Edinburgh) earned a straight-set 6-1, 6-3 victory at No. 3 singles. Howell dropped only three games in picking up a win on the No. 4 court.

Sophomore Kayla Walker (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) and Bonomini were also victorious at the No. 5 and 6 singles positions.

Franklin returns to action on Wednesday, September 24 at 6:30 p.m. when it travels to the College of Mount St. Joseph in Cincinnati, Ohio.