Richmond, Ind. - It was a historic Saturday for the Franklin College women's tennis team during a pair of 9-0 victories over Earlham College and Berea College from Richmond, Indiana.
With a victory on the No. 1 court against Earlham, senior Chelsea Howell (West Harrison, Ind./Franklin County) became the first tennis player at any collegiate level to win a match at all six singles and three doubles positions during a career.
Then, senior Melissa Sanders (Columbus, Ind./Columbus North) broke the school record for career singles wins (53), with a straight-set triumph at No. 1 singles against Berea.
Franklin improved to 9-0 on the season and stands 6-0 in Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference action after the victory over Earlham. The match against Berea was a non-conference contest.
Against Earlham, the doubles tandem of freshman Karen Dringenburg (Seymour, Ind./Seymour) and Sanders won 8-0 on the No. 1 court. Freshman Rachel Rose (Springboro, Ohio/Springboro) and Howell were also victorious by an 8-0 score at No. 2 doubles. Freshman Holyn Eldridge (Goshen, Ind./Concord) and junior Emily Helvie (Batesville, Ind./Batesville) did not drop a game at No. 3 doubles.
Howell's historic victory came in a 6-0, 6-0 win on the No. 1 singles court. Senior Emily Roberts (Franklin, Ind./Edinburgh) earned a straight-set victory on the No. 2 court, and Rose did not lose a game at No. 3 singles. Senior Chelsea Platt (Shelbyville, Ind./Morristown) picked up a 6-0, 6-1 triumph at No. 4 singles. Freshman Alexa Schofner (Edinburgh, Ind./Southwestern) won her collegiate debut with a straight-set triumph at the No. 5 singles. Sophomore Megan Battles (Shelbyville, Ind./Morristown) rounded out the winners by not losing a game at No. 6 singles.
In the Berea match, Sanders led the way with a 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 1 singles, and Howell dropped only three games at No. 2 singles. Dringenburg picked up a 6-0, 6-1 victory at No. 3 singles. Platt was victorious on the No. 4 court in straight sets. Schofner won her second singles match of the day on the No. 5 court. Freshman Brianna Hutton (Rockville, Ind./Turkey Run) won her collegiate debut with a 6-1, 6-4 triumph at No. 6 singles.
In doubles, Sanders-Dringenburg earned an 8-4 victory at the top of the lineup. Eldridge teamed with Helvie to win 8-6 at No. 2 doubles. Sophomores Claire Hirsch (Michigan City, Ind./Michigan City) and Jessica Baker (Brazil, Ind./Northview) won by an 8-5 score on the No. 3 doubles court.
Franklin returns to action on Sunday, September 27, at 1 p.m. when it hosts St. Joseph's University.
