Women's Tennis Beats Ripon, Splits Saturday MWC Matches

Stefanova sweeps Saturday matches

by Nathan Baliva

MONMMOUTH, Ill. (09/24/2023) — The Monmouth College women's team played a pair of Midwest Conference matches on the road Saturday. The Scots lost a hard-fought match at Lawrence 5-4 in the morning and then beat Ripon 5-4 in the afternoon.

In the Lawrence match, Ivana Stefanova (Streamwood, Illinois) won at No. 1 singles 6-2, 6-0. Natalie Labicki (Antioch, Illinois) lost 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 singles and Kathi Ramsenthaler (Linz, Austria) won 6-0, 5-7, 6-2 at No. 3 singles. Kimber Calvert (Paris, Illinois) lost 7-5, 7-5 at No. 4, Julia Mheidze (Springfield, Illinois) lost 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 and Maddie Psomas (Hoffman Estates, Illinois) lost 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6.

In doubles, Stefanova and Labicki won 8-6 at No. 1 while Ramsenthaler and Calvert lost 8-4 at No. 2. Mheidze and Psomas lost 8-1 at No. 3 doubles. Lawrence beat Monmouth 9-0 the last two years and the 5-4 loss is the best result for the Scots against the Vikings since a 2018 win.

"The team is working hard in practice every day and it is showing in how we battle right to the end of every match," said head coach Brian Dahlstrom."

The Scots then traveled to Ripon to face the Red Hawks. Stefanova and Labicki started the doubles with an 8-1 win and the duo of Ramsenthaler and Calvert won 8-7 (5) at No. 2 doubles. They trailed in that crucial match 6-3 before rallying to win and give the Scots a 2-1 lead after doubles. Ripon took the No. 3 doubles match over Mheidze and Psomas 8-0.

Stefanova dominated her No. 1 singles match 6-0, 6-0 and Ramsenthaler won at No. 2 singles 6-2, 6-0. Labicki clinched the match with a 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles. Calvert lost 6-1, 6-2 at No. 4 singles. Mheidze lost 6-0, 6-2 at No. 5 singles and Psomas lost 6-0, 6-1 at No. 6.

Ripon beat the Scots 5-4 last year in Monmouth and 9-0 at home in 2021.The Scots are 5-4 against Ripon over the last nine matches. Monmouth's last three matches have ended with a 5-4 score, a win over Ripon and losses to Cornell and Lawrence.

:"We are really competing in all our matches so it was fantastic to pull out a close one ourselves against Ripon," said Dahlstrom.

The Scots will play at Illinois College next Saturday with a 9 a.m. start time in Jacksonville.