Cecilia Grissa '08 stood out in her return to the Bates lineup.

LEWISTON, Maine -- Tufts University, the No. 3-ranked women's tennis team in the Northeast, defeated host Bates College 8-1 Sunday in a NESCAC match played in Merrill Indoor Gymnasium.

The Jumbos raise their record to 6-3 overall and 3-0 in NESCAC play, while the Bobcats fall to 2-5 overall, 1-2 in the NESCAC.

Bates senior Cecilia Grissa (Doylestown, Pa.) returned to the lineup for the first time this semester after an injury layoff, and she teamed up with sophomore Alex Piacquad (Yardley, Pa.) to win at No. 1 doubles. Grissa also took Julia Browne to three sets at No. 1 singles in a 4-6, 6-3, 6-0 defeat.

Bates, ranked No. 24 in the Northeast, will play at No. 8 Bowdoin on Wednesday, April 2.

Tufts 8, Bates 1

March 30, 2008 at Lewiston, Maine

Doubles Competition
1. Cecilia Grissa/Alex Piacquad (B) def. Andrea Cenko/Mari Hamma (T), 9-8 (1)

2. Meghan McCooey/Erica Miller (T) def. Mallika Raghavan/Liz Fleming (B), 8-0

3. Edwina Stewart/Julia Browne (T) def. Caryn Benisch/Jean Gulliver (B), 8-3

Singles Competition

1. Browne (T) def. Grissa (B), 4-6, 6-3, 6-0

2. McCooey (T) def. Piacquad (B), 6-0, 6-0

3. Miller (T) def. Benisch (B), 6-0, 7-5

4. Cenko (T) def. Raghavan (B), 6-1, 7-6 (6)

5. Homma (T) def. Fleming (B), 6-2, 7-5

6. Stewart (T) def. Gulliver (B), 6-2, 6-0