Elmira College women's tennis senior Ayaka Yoshino '16 went 3-1 in her first four matches of the season against Empire 8 Conference foes Hartwick College and Stevens Institute of Technology.
On the road against the Hawks, Yoshino and her partner Ellen Plowman '16 lost a close 8-6 match at first doubles against Rose Natoli and Heidi Rice. Yoshino responded by taking her singles match against Rice in straight sets, 6-1, 7-6 (3). The Yokohama, Japan, native then won both matches against the Ducks in Hoboken, NJ. In doubles, Yoshino and Plowman defeated the Stevens duo of Alexis Connor and Julia Guignard, 8-6. Not only did Yoshino improve to 2-0 in first singles with a straight-set victory over Connor, 6-4, 6-2, but the win put her one shy of the Elmira College record for career singles victories. With 59 total wins, Yoshino is now in a two-way tie with former teammate Kayla Fitzgerald'15 for most career wins in EC women's tennis history.
The Elmira College women's tennis team returns to action when it hosts D'Youville College in a non-conference match on Sunday, September 13th at 1 p.m. at the Murray Athletic Center.