The Lancaster Bible College women's tennis team opened its 2021 season in tremendous fashion on Wednesday, as the Chargers defeated Clarks Summit, 9-0 at the Birchwood Tennis Club in Clarks Summit, Pa. The match was the first for the Chargers since Sept. 21, 2019 when they defeated Albright, 6-1. The Chargers did not get to play last season due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.
 
Doubles: Lancaster Bible swept doubles play, as the number one team of Deanna Graber and Cara DiCiano, playing together for the first time in a match, earned an 8-1 victory over Hannah Knapp and Michaela McLeod. The No. 2 team of Haylee Fishel and Kenedi Berkhimer won 8-2, as did the No. 3 team of Kaitlin Kirby and Chloe Campbell.
 
Singles: Graber, playing at No. 1 singles, continued her strong afternoon with a 6-1, 6-1 victory, while DiCiano, playing at No. 2, didn't allow her opponent to win a game, and won, 6-0, 6-0. Fishel took the first set at No. 3 singles, before earning a win by default in the second set. Berkhimer was victorious, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 4 singles, while Kirby picked up a 6-2, 6-2 win at No. 5 singles. Campbell finished off the sweep with a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 6 singles.
 
The Coach Says: "It was exciting to take the court for the first time in over a year," Lancaster Bible Head Coach Rod Baughman said. "Deanna, Haylee, and Kenedi picked up right where they left off, and Cara has been a great addition to the line-up. It was super exciting to see Kaitlin and Chloe earn a win in their first collegiate match, and while there are things each of the ladies can work on, today was a nice start to the season."
 
News & Notes: Lancaster Bible is now 2-3 all-time against Clarks Summit…This was the first meeting between the teams since Sept. 18, 2014 when the Defenders won, 9-0…This was Lancaster Bible's first road match since April 18, 2019…Fishel's singles win was the 21st of her career, and she is now alone in second place on the all-time list for most singles wins in program history...Greta Strunk holds the program mark with 32 career singles victories.
 
Up Next: Lancaster Bible will host its first match of the season on Thursday, March 18 at 4 p.m…The match is scheduled to be played at the Hempfield Rec Center in Landisville, Pa.