On Saturday, April 11, the #12 Middlebury women's tennis team took care of business at home, sweeping Trinity 7-0 inside an empty Nelson Recreation Center. The win was Middlebury’s 13th against Trinity. With the victory, the Panthers remain undefeated against the Bantams. Saturday’s result also came on the heels of a confidence-boosting sweep of #13 Williams last week. The Panthers currently sit third in the NESCAC with a record of 9–4 (5–1 against conference opponents) and look poised to make a deep postseason run.
Action opened in the doubles matches. In the top spot, Elsie Van Wieren ’28 and Anna Lardner ’26 secured the Panthers’ first point with a 6-2 win. Captain Lulu Wu ’26 and Ananya Annapantula ’27 cruised to a 6-1 win in the second spot. First years Ren Barton ’29 and Diya Pachamuthu ’29 won the closest set of the afternoon 6-4, completing the Panthers’ sweep in the doubles.
Then came the singles: on the Nelson Recreation Center’s four courts, the Panthers quickly put their opponents away. Van Wieren won in straight sets in the top spot, conceding a single game, and Lardner gave no quarter in the second, beating her opponent 6-0, 6-0. Charlotte McCann ’26 prevailed 6-2, 6-1 in the third slot, sealing the Middlebury victory. In the fourth slot, Elizabeth Doak ’28 conceded just two games.
Rested from their doubles bouts, Pachamuthu and Annapantula retook the court in the fifth and sixth spots. The victory secured, the rest of the team cheered on Pachamuthu and Annapantula as they completed the Panthers’ sweep.
“It’s always great to be home in Nelson,” Wu said, reflecting on the team’s energy. “We hope everyone keeps fighting even if matches aren't that close — it makes us want to play our best and perform the best that we can.”
The Panthers’ commanding victory over Trinity on Saturday provided an opportunity for the team to work on their game as the postseason approaches. “These matches are really helpful for us to work on the things that we need to work on,” head coach Olivia Leavitt said. “All of us were working on our long-term process as opposed to short-term results, and we can always improve on that,” Doak said.
The Panthers 4–3 record against non-conference opponents reflects the strength of their schedule. Middlebury has earned two victories against the current eighth-ranked Pomona-Pitzer this season, but also lost a close contest against #4 University of Chicago. The Panthers also dropped their matchups against top-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps and second-ranked Washington University.
“We've been really tested by some of the best teams in the country, which has been really helpful for us to see where we're at and where we need to get better — I think we're right there with a lot of the other top programs in the country,” Leavitt said.
The Panthers followed up on their dominant win with a 5-2 victory against Tufts the next day. The team returns home for back-to-back NESCAC competitions this weekend, facing Amherst on Saturday and Hamilton — their senior-day matchup — on Sunday. The matches provide the team with a chance to tighten the screws as they approach postseason competition.
“Hopefully, if we keep building with each match we play, each week of practice, then we should be playing our best tennis when it comes to May,” Leavitt said.
Thie Harthono '28 (he/him) is a Sports Editor.
Thie is majoring in Political Science. On campus, he serves as a Peer Writing Tutor. He spent the summer as a Press Intern at the United States Senate.
