From Brandeis University Athletics

The Brandeis women's tennis team, ranked No. 28 in Division III earned a much-needed win today as the Judges went on the road and defeated 40th-ranked Bates College, 5-4. 

The overall victory was clinched at the No. 6 spot, where rookie Danielle Simms (Chattanooga, Tenn. / Girls Preparatory School) earned her first collegiate win with a marathon three-set match. After dropping the first set to Bates's Emma Blakely, Simms took a tiebreaker in the second, 7-6 (7-2). In another tough set, Simms prevailed in the third, 6-4, to earn the team's first victory in seven matches. 

The Judges took a 2-1 lead after doubles play. Senior Carley Cooke (San Diego, Calif./Point Loma) and rookie Haley Cohen (Cherry Hill, N.J./Laurel Springs) were 8-5 victors at No. 1 over Elena Mandzhukova and Elizabeth Erbafina. At No. 3, rookie Charlotte Aaron (Phoenix, Ariz./Arcadia) and sophomore Sarita Biswas (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) took an 8-6 decision over Blakely and Kate Rosenthal. The Bobcats earned their first point at No. 2 when  Maise Silverman and Kelsey Pearson used a late break to defeat Judge senior Dylan Schlesinger (Miami, Fla./Palmetto) and junior Maya Vasser (New Rochelle, N.Y./New Rochelle), 9-7.

Cooke and Vasser earned the first two singles points of the match. At No. 1, Cooke won her second straight match with a 6-3, 6-1, win over Mandzhukova. Vasser cruised past Olivia Voccola at No. 5, 6-1, 6-2. Bates battled back in the middle of the lineup, with wins at the 2, 3 and 4 positions, with 2 and 4 three-set victories. Those Brandeis losses allowed Simms' heroics.