WASHINGTON, Pa. – The Washington & Jefferson women's tennis team (10-3) defeated the Geneva Golden Tornadoes (7-7) in the Presidents' Athletic Conference Quarterfinals to collect the program's first conference tournament win since the 2020-21 season. This win also marks the first 10-win season by the Presidents since the 2019 season.
W&J started off the match with a hard-fought doubles point to go up, 1-0. The two teams split the first two doubles matches, with freshman
Austyn Paugh (Jane Lew, W.Va./Notre Dame) and sophomore
Mackenzie Gumto (Renfrew, Pa./Knoch) picking up a 6-1 win at No. 3 doubles. The freshmen tandem of
Bella Graham (Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area) and
Maya Hamade (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper Saint Clair) secured the first team point of the afternoon with a 6-2 win at No. 2 doubles.
The Golden Tornadoes tried to flip the script in singles, but the Presidents were able to battle it out. Freshmen
Keiran Moorhead (Canonsburg, Pa./Peters Township) and Hamade won 6-2, 6-0, and 6-2, 6-2 at the No. 3 and No. 4 singles positions, respectively. The Golden Tornadoes got two points back to make it 3-2 overall, but Paugh was able to seal the clinching point at No. 6 singles with a 7-5, 6-1 victory.
With the victory,
Matt Lynch secured his first PAC Tournament victory as the head coach of the men's and women's tennis teams at W&J.
"Very proud of the team for what they have accomplished so far this season. They have displayed a ton of fight in every match, and they stay coachable even when matches get tough," said Lynch. "It was a team goal to get a tournament win this year, so this win means a lot to us all. We are looking forward to the next round Thursday."
The Presidents look to continue their PAC tournament run with the semifinal match on Thursday (Oct. 16) when they take on the top-seeded Allegheny Gators. First ball from Meadville will be at 4:00 p.m., with doubles to start.
