NORTON, MA- The Wheaton College women's tennis team moved one step closer to earning at least a share of its first regular season league crown by blanking visiting Clark University, 9-0 on Saturday during New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) play on the Clark Tennis Courts.

The 12th-ranked team in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Northeast poll, the Lyons improved to 9-2 overall and 5-1 in the NEWMAC. They will head into their league finale on Tuesday at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a chance to clinch at least a share of the NEWMAC's regular season title. Clark fell to 2-10 and 0-6.

The Lyons dropped a total of six games between singles and doubles versus the Cougars. The doubles tandem of juniors Sarah Geocaris (Newport Beach, CA/Sage Hill School) and Catherine Teague (Manchester, NH/Central) blanked its opponent in the first position, while senior Katherine Knies (Purdys, NY/North Salem) and sophomore Allesandra DiOrio (Cumberland, RI/Lincoln School) followed suit at two.

In the third slot, junior Ellen Van Faasen (Manchester, MA/Manchester Essex Regional) and sophomore Rosalyn Chesky (South Hadley, MA/Wilbraham & Monson Academy) notched an 8-1 triumph, giving Wheaton a 3-0 advantage heading into singles.

Teague, DiOrio, Knies and Chesky each shut out their singles opponents, earning victories in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth positions, respectively. Geocaris picked up a 6-3, 6-0 win in the top spot, and Van Faasen corralled a 6-1, 6-1 victory at three.

The Lyons turn right around for a road match tomorrow at Colby College at 1:00 p.m.