MIDDLEBURY, Vt. — The Bates College women's tennis team dropped a 7-0 decision to No. 6 Middlebury in NESCAC action Saturday at the Nelson Recreation Center.

The Panthers (3-3, 2-1 NESCAC) seized early control of the match by sweeping all three doubles contests. The Middlebury duo of Ren Barton (Avon, Conn.) and Lulu Wu (Tenafly, N.J.) secured the opening point with a 6-2 win at No. 1 doubles over Bates' Emelyn Harris and Iris Westmoreland.

At No. 2 doubles, Anna Lardner (San Anselmo, Calif.) and Elsie Van Wieren (Ann Arbor, Mich.) defeated Isabella Saul and Lia Swire by a 6-0 score, while Charlotte McCann (Montclair, N.J.) and Diya Pachamuthu (Lexington, Mass) secured a 6-0 win at No. 3 over Grace LaFountain and Elise Hepburn. 

Middlebury carried that momentum into singles play, winning all six matches in straight sets. Van Wieren picked up a 6-2, 6-0 win over Westmoreland at No. 1 singles, while Lardner followed with a 6-3, 6-1 victory against Saul at the No. 2 position.

Wu topped Hepburn 6-1, 6-0 at No. 3 singles and Ren Barton earned a 6-1, 6-1 win over Harris at No. 4. McCann defeated Swire 6-0, 6-0 at No. 5 singles, and Elizabeth Doak (New Canaan, Conn.) completed the sweep with a 6-0, 6-0 result against LaFountain at No. 6. 

Bates (2-7, 1-2 NESCAC) will look to rebound in its next outing Sunday morning as the Bobcats visit No. 20 Williams at 10:00 a.m.