The sixth-ranked Middlebury women's tennis team grabbed a lead over #4 Wesleyan on Sunday, but the host Cardinals secured two of the final three points for a grueling 4-3 victory.
 
HIGHLIGHTS

• The top Wesleyan doubles pairing of Leila Epstein and Lucinda Gatsiounis slipped past Gusty Beveridge and Lulu Wu by a 7-5 score. Wesleyan secured the point when the #2 duo of Lara Afolayanka and Natalia Leroy defeated Anna Lardner and Ren Barton 6-3. Elsie Van Wieren and Diya Pachamuthu earned a 7-6 triumph in the third spot.
• In singles play, Wu downed Leroy in the #4 spot by identical 6-2 set scores before Van Wieren put the Panthers ahead 2-1 with a 6-2, 6-4 decision against Epstein in the top slot.
• Lardner and Guggenheim split the first two sets at #2 by matching 7-5 tallies before the Cardinal won 6-0 in the third to level the match at 2-2. 
• Charlotte McCann regained the lead for Middlebury with a convincing 6-2, 6-2 victory in the sixth position to put the Panthers on the brink.
• Wesleyan again deadlocked the match with a 7-6 (2), 6-0 triumph at #3. 
• The last match on the courts was a three-set marathon between Barton and Mariia Kornilova in the fifth position. Barton grabbed the early lead with a 6-1 first-set triumph, but the Wesleyan player drew even with a 6-3 win. Kornilova posted a 6-1 decision in the third frame to give the Cardinals a 4-3 triumph. 

NOTES

• The programs met for the 34th time with Middlebury holding a 23-11 advantage. 

The Panthers return home for their opening home match of the spring season against Bates on Saturday at 11:00 a.m.