MISHAWAKA, Ind. - The Goshen tennis teams are now both receiving votes in the latest NAIA coaches' polls and both took down Bethel squads that were also at least receiving votes. All in a day's work. The women won 5-2 against #22 Bethel and the men won 6-1 against (RV) Bethel. This was the first win against Bethel for the women since 2006.

Women - Goshen 5, Bethel 2
The Maple Leafs improved to 6-6 overall and 1-1 in league play with the result against the Pilots. Goshen took control early by winning two of the three doubles flights. Blanka Bodo and Maria Clara Fonte earned a 6-3 win at #1 doubles over Szilvi Ferenczy and Paola Lameda, while Marin Kawano and Uliana Dotsenko followed with a 6-1 victory at #3 doubles. The #2 doubles match, featuring Sara Nino and Vishmi Serasinghe against Olessya Krot and Daniela Pineros went unfinished.

The Maple Leafs then closed the dual by taking four of six singles matches. Dotsenko delivered a straight-sets win at #1 singles, beating Ferenczy 6-4, 7-5. Bodo also won in straight sets, handling Krot 6-2, 6-3 at #2. Serasinghe rebounded after dropping the first set and defeated Pineros 4-6, 6-3, 6-1 at #4.

Nino added another point in a tight #6 singles match, outlasting Farida El Sayed 7-5, 4-6, 10-7 in a third-set match tiebreak. Bodo and Dotsenko each figured prominently in the victory by contributing wins in both singles and doubles. Serasinghe and Nino also helped swing the dual with hard-fought singles wins after Goshen's productive doubles session had established the early edge. Fonte has won six straight doubles matches and is 16-3 this season. Bodo has won five in a row and has a record of 16-4. Nino now sports a 13-4 singles record and Bodo is at 12-6.

Men - Goshen 6, Bethel 1
The Maple Leafs claimed the doubles team point with wins in all three flights, then added five of six singles matches to finish off the result. The fast start set the tone. Iago Ciucio and Garrett Stoltzfus earned a 6-1 win at #1 doubles, while Mahmut Gurmeric and Timo Novak matched that score at #2. Paulo Santiago and Filippo Gallo completed the sweep with a 6-3 victory at #3, giving Goshen the early 1-0 edge before singles play began.

Goshen then took control across the singles lineup. Ciucio won 6-3, 6-4 at #1 singles over Dimitar Berdankov, and Stoltzfus posted the same 6-3, 6-4 score at #3 against Atanas Ivanov. At #5, Gallo pulled through a tight opening set and went on to a 7-6, 6-1 win over Ostap Talama. Santiago added another straight-set point at #6, beating Santiago Flores 6-3, 6-4.

The most competitive Goshen singles win came from Novak at #2. After edging the first set in a tiebreak, Novak dropped the second before regrouping for a 6-4 third-set win, closing out a 7-6, 4-6, 6-4 decision over Aidyn Batyrbekov. Several Maple Leafs delivered in both phases of the match. With the win, Goshen moved to 7-6 overall and 2-0 in conference play. Ciucio and Stoltzfus improved to 13-3 in doubles this season. Novak leads the way in singles with an impressive 15-5 record.

Goshen is at Taylor on Saturday, March 28, at 11:00 am.