ALBANY, N.Y. -- Houghton women's tennis earned its second-straight conference victory, taking a 7-2 decision over Russell Sage College on the road Saturday.

The Highlanders got wins in first and third doubles and then took five of the six singles matches, losing only in first singles.

The match started off tight with a 2-1 lead for the Highlanders after the conclusion of doubles play. Tessa Brown and Hialeah Johnson rolled 8-0 at third doubles to grab the first point of the afternoon, and Erin Haley and Elise Swanson battled back from behind to win in a tiebreaker 8-7 (7-5). The Highlanders would cruise in singles play with victories in the second through sixth positions. Haley won 6-1, 6-1 at second singles, Chloe Esch prevailed 6-4, 7-5 at third, Maddison Soth stayed steady for a 6-3, 6-4 victory at fourth, and Brown and Johnson would each round out the day with 6-0, 6-0 wins at fifth and sixth singles, respectively.
 
"Today was an emotional battle and victory for our ladies," Head Coach Zach Shilvock explained after the match. "There are no easy matches in our conference and the team did a great job staying focused and getting the job done in this one. This match taught us a lot, and we are going to get back to work next week to prepare for a tough back to back weekend."

Houghton now stands at 2-2 overall on the season and 2-0 in Empire 8 action. Sage is 0-3 (0-1 E8).

The Highlanders travel to take on Oneonta in a non-conference match on Friday, September 24 and return home the next day to battle Hartwick at 2 p.m.

Houghton College 7, Russell Sage College 2

Singles competition
1. Maddie Cherry (RSCWTEN) def. Elise Swanson (HCWT21) 6-1, 6-0
2. Erin Haley (HCWT21) def. Taylor Gillespie (RSCWTEN) 6-1, 6-1
3. Chloe Esch (HCWT21) def. Kenedy Cherry (RSCWTEN) 7-5, 6-4
4. Maddison Soth (HCWT21) def. Gwen Eichen (RSCWTEN) 6-3, 6-4
5. Tessa Brown (HCWT21) def. Maria Inserra (RSCWTEN) 6-0, 6-0
6. Hialeah Johnson (HCWT21) def. Dudlie Salomon (RSCWTEN) 6-0, 6-0

Doubles competition
1. Elise Swanson/Erin Haley (HCWT21) def. Kenedy Cherry/Maddie Cherry (RSCWTEN) 8-7 (7-5)
2. Taylor Gillespie/Gwen Eichen (RSCWTEN) def. Maddison Soth/Chloe Esch (HCWT21) 8-4
3. Hialeah Johnson/Tessa Brown (HCWT21) def. Maria Inserra/Dudlie Salomon (RSCWTEN) 8-0

Match Notes:
Houghton College 2-2, 2-0 E8
Russell Sage College 0-3, 0-1 E8
Order of Finish Singles:  1, 5, 6, 2, 4, 3  Doubles: 3, 2, 1