From University of Chicago Athletics

In the first day of action at the University Athletic Association (UAA) Championship, the University of Chicago women's tennis team won the first six matches to beat Case Western Reserve University 8-1 on Thursday.

The No. 15-ranked Maroons improved to 12-9. The No. 21-ranked Spartans dropped to 11-7.

In the eight-team field, UChicago enters as the No. 4-seed and Case is the No. 5-seed. They split their previous two matches this year, with the Spartans winning 5-4 and the Maroons winning 8-1.

Doubles got UChicago off to a hot start as all three tandems picked up wins by scores of 8-6, 8-6 and 8-4. But momentum was halted as rainy weather caused several hours of delays during singles play. Once the matches resumed in earnest, the Maroons won the top five singles spots, including three-set matches at No. 1 and No. 3.

UChicago's multiple winners in singles and doubles included freshman Ariana Iranpour, senior Megan Tang, sophomore Tiffany Chen and junior Lucy Tang. The Maroons will next take on top-seeded Emory University.

"Having a five-hour rain delay after getting up 3-0 was less than ideal, but we were really mentally strong today and didn't let it become a factor," said Head Coach Jay Tee. "For Megan and Tiff to grab us our fourth and fifth points so quickly was great for the team's confidence and allowed the others to finish strong without much pressure. I'm proud of how far the team has come in the last month and I know we still have a lot of good tennis left in us this season. We have a tall task tomorrow but I think we are ready to come out and challenge them."