OWATONNA, Minn. – The St. Olaf College women's tennis team moved to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) play with back-to-back victories over Hamline University and the College of Saint Benedict on Saturday and Sunday at West Hills Tennis and Fitness Center.

St. Olaf (8-0, 5-0 MIAC) posted its first 8-0 start to a season since 2014-15 with a 7-2 victory over Hamline (4-5, 0-3 MIAC) on Saturday and a 7-2 win over Saint Ben's (0-1, 0-1 MIAC) on Sunday. The Oles' 5-0 start to MIAC play is their first since 2015-16.

Next up for St. Olaf is a conference match against Saint Mary's University on Sunday, March 16 at 2 p.m. at Winona Tennis Center.

St. Olaf 7, Hamline 2 | Box Score

Seniors Olha Zubarieva, Jane Spading, and Fiona O'Flaherty, as well as junior Alexandra Berns, were all victorious in both singles and doubles to lead St. Olaf to its 23rd consecutive win over Hamline. The Oles won two of the three doubles matches and five of the six singles matches in the victory.

The tandems of Zubarieva/Spading and O'Flaherty/Berns remained unbeaten in dual matches this season with identical 8-2 victories at the top-two spots. Hamline picked up an 8-6 win at No. 3 doubles to go into singles down just 2-1, however.

St. Olaf secured straight-set victories from Spading, O'Flaherty, and Berns in the first three singles matches to finish to lock up the team result. That trio did not lose more than three games in a set in their wins at No. 2, No. 3, and No. 4 singles, respectively.

Zubarieva also posted a straight-set victory in her match at No. 1 singles, getting through a first-set tiebreaker in a 7-6 (1), 6-1 win. In her first conference match in the singles lineup as an Ole, sophomore Charlotte Sloane claimed a 7-6 (2), 3-6, 1-0 (10-8) victory at No. 6 singles, as the two teams split the two super tiebreakers at No. 5 and No. 6 singles.

St. Olaf 7, Saint Ben's 2 | Box Score

St. Olaf swept all three doubles matches by at least five games and went on to claim straight-set victories at the top-four singles spots to top Saint Ben's, which was playing its first match of the season.

The top-two doubles pairings of Zubarieva/Spading and O'Flaherty moved to 6-0 in dual matches and 5-0 in MIAC play with 8-1 and 8-2 victories. Senior Sarah Clark and junior Emma Clift completed the sweep with an 8-3 triumph at No. 3 doubles.

The Oles raced to straight-set wins in the first four singles matches to finish before the Bennies won the final two matches on court. Zubarieva, Spading, O'Flaherty, and Berns all lost three games or fewer in their victories, as Spading, O'Flaherty, and Berns maintained their unbeaten starts to conference play at 5-0. Spading and O'Flaherty are tied for the team lead with 9-1 marks in singles play this season.