LEXINGTON, Va. – Sonja Meighan and Patricia Kirkland teamed up for a No. 1 doubles win and then added two more points in singles action to help Washington and Lee top Longwood, 6-1, Monday evening at the Duchossois Tennis Center.
 
Meighan and Kirkland took down Longwood's top pairing of Malin Allgurin and Paloma Alatorre to spark a doubles point victory and then claimed wins at the No. 1 and No. 4 singles spots, respectively.
 
The match was originally scheduled to take place on Longwood's home courts in Farmville, but inclement weather in the area forced a change of venue to Washington and Lee's indoor facility. The Generals took hold of the home court advantage early, Brooke Donnelly followed by snatching a quick win at No. 2 singles over Anna Pelak, 6-0, 6-1, and Patricia Kirkland added a 6-1, 6-3 victory over  Alatorre at No. 4 to put the Generals ahead 3-0.
 
Longwood was in position to take points at No. 1 and No. 3 singles after ace Malin Allgurin and Maria Coronel split their first two sets, but the Generals came out on top in set three in both matches.
 
"The girls competed hard, and I can't take anything away from their effort," Longwood first-year head coach Bruce Myers said. "As a coach, I'm really frustrated that all our momentum from winning our first three matches is gone. With the weather, we haven't had a full practice or any private lessons since Feb. 12, which really hurts."
 
The loss is the fourth straight for the Lancers, who stormed out to a 3-0 start to their first spring season under Myers before a lengthy cold snap hit Farmville. The resulting extreme temperatures and snow has significantly affected Longwood's outdoor practice time, which Myers believes has played into the lull in which the Lancers now find themselves.
 
The lone bright spot for Longwood Monday came from sophomore Mason Thomas, who won at No. 5 singles and alongside Maria Coronel at No. 3 doubles. Thomas, who upended Washington and Lee's Mary Elizabeth Shutley 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 to improve to 5-1 on the year. Thomas' lone singles loss this season came at the No. 4 spot against Navy last Saturday.
 
The loss precedes another road trip to Lynchburg, Va., where Longwood will face rival Liberty in the Big South opener Wednesday at 1 p.m.
 
"It won't get any easier tomorrow as we open our conference schedule at Liberty, which also has the advantage of having an indoor facility on campus," Myers said. "As a coach, I need to figure out ways to better prepare my players. They're absolutely putting in the off-court work."
 
Washington and Lee 6, Longwood 1
February 23, 2015
Lexington, Va. (Duchossois Tennis Center)
 
Doubles
No. 1. Sonja Meighan/Patricia Kirkland (W&L) d. Malin Allgurin/Paloma Alatorre 8-4
No. 2. Meghan Buell/Brooke Donnelly (W&L) d. Anna Pelak/Nicole Parker 8-5
No. 3. Mason Thomas/Maria Coronel (LWU) d. Kelsey Vella/Michelle Fleenor 8-5
 
Singles
No. 1: Sonja Meighan (W&L) d. Malin Allgurin 6-3, 3-6, 7-5
No. 2: Brooke Donnelly (W&L) d. Anna Pelak 6-0, 6-1
No. 3: Meghan Buell (W&L) d. Maria Coronel 6-7, 6-4, 6-3
No. 4: Patricia Kirkland (W&L) d. Paloma Alatorre 6-1, 6-3
No. 5: Mason Thomas (LWU) d. Mary Elizabeth Shutley 5-7, 6-2, 7-5
No. 6: Allison Hupalo (W&L) d. Nicole Parker 6-2, 3-3
 
#GoWood