ITHACA, N.Y. – The Ithaca College women's tennis team was back in action on Thursday afternoon when the Bombers wrapped up their home schedule with a non-league battle against 39^th-ranked Hamilton. Ithaca battled hard against the nationally-ranked Continentals, but the visitors proved too much for IC on this day in a 9-0 contest at the Wheeler Tennis Courts. The loss drops IC's record to 3-12 on the season.
 
In what has been an on-going theme throughout the season for the hard-luck IC women's tennis program, the Bombers were playing short-handed again on Thursday. Already down one lineup regular with Jane Alkhazov's injury earlier this season, Ithaca had to play without its usual top-slot singles player in junior Brianna Ruback who was held out of the lineup with an ailment. The move shuffled up Ithaca's lineup with every player moving up a slot, a tough ask against the talented Continentals. The Bombers turned in their best effort, but Hamilton was just a step quicker throughout the day.
 
Doubles
1. Sophia Aulicino/Audrey Chor (HAMILTON) def. Caroline Dunn/Kathryn Shaffer (ITHACA) | 8-5
2. Kat Roberts/Ajla Karabegovic (HAMILTON) def. Sara Steinberg/Alexandra Dyszewski (ITHACA) | 8-7 (7-5)
3. Jane Haffer/Sarah Bargamian (HAMILTON) def. Shannon Wolfe/Chloe Levy (ITHACA) | 8-1
 
Singles
1. Sophia Aulicino (HAMILTON) def. Caroline Dunn (ITHACA) | 6-0, 6-1
2. Audrey Chor (HAMILTON) def. Kathryn Shaffer (ITHACA) | 6-1, 6-4
3. Jane Haffer (HAMILTON) def. Alexandra Dyszewski (ITHACA) | 6-0, 6-2
4. Kat Roberts (HAMILTON) def. Sara Steinberg (ITHACA) | 6-0, 6-1
5. Ajla Karabegovic (HAMILTON) def. Rel Klein (ITHACA) | 6-2, 6-0
6. Becca Ingber (HAMILTON) def. Chloe Levy (ITHACA) | 6-2, 6-2
 
The doubles session featured a pair of close battles in the top two matchups. The closest came in the second-doubles tilt as sophomore Sara Steinberg and Alexandra Dyszewski forced a tiebreaker against Hamilton's Kat Roberts and Ajla Karabegovic. The breaker point was extremely competitive; however, the Continentals duo pulled things out with a clinching point to win 7-5. The first-doubles matchup was also competitive with IC's senior duo of Kathryn Shaffer and Caroline Dunn falling to Sophia Aulicino and Audrey Chor 8-5. The visitors took a commanding 3-0 lead out of the day's first session.
 
The closest matchup in singles play came from Shaffer against Hamilton's Chor in the second-singles tilt. While Chor took the opening set fairly convincingly by a 6-1 margin, Shaffer jumped out on the Hamilton netter with a fast start to the second set. IC's talented senior jumped out to a 4-1 lead in the frame, but was unable to ultimately force a third set late, falling 6-4.
 
Dyszewski followed a similar trend in her third-singles match against Jane Haffer. After a tough 6-0 start, the IC rookie played several competitive games in the second set, but was able to score just two in the win column in the 6-2 defeat.
 
Dunn and Steinberg both dropped 6-0, 6-1 decisions in the first-singles and fourth-singles slots, respectively. First-year Rel Klein bumped up to fifth-singles and was competitive in the early going against Hamilton's Karabegovic. She scored a pair of games in the first five exchanges, but the visitor's netter took control later in the frame and never let up in a 6-2, 6-0 win. Levy scored a pair of games in each of her two sets, but fell 6-2, 6-2 to Becca Ingber in the sixth slot.
 
Ithaca concludes the regular-season with a matchup against another NESCAC foe in Trinity (Conn.) on Saturday, April 27. Start time at Trinity is slated for 11:00 a.m. The match will be the final one in advance of next week's Liberty League Tournament.