Women’s tennis is swinging into one of the best seasons in program history. They began strong, winning their first five matches for the first time in several years. They captured wins over Northeast 10 (NE-10) competitors Merrimack, Franklin Pierce, AIC, New Haven and Saint Anselm.
However, their winning streak was snapped, on October 1, when they faced Adelphi, the number one team in the NE-10.
The match began with doubles action. The team suffered a 2-0 deficit after second and third doubles wrapped up, losing second 8-4 and third 8-3. First doubles clawed away in a long, strenuous match before clenching it 9-8 (7-5). Although it was a sign of hope for the Penmen, they still trailed 2-1.
Sophomore Anna Sala (Matadepera, Spain) was victorious in her number two singles match, pulling off a fast 6-0 6-3 victory. Junior Sofia Morais (Porto, Portugal) fell short at number one singles, dropping the match 6-2 6-3.
Classmate Kaitlyn Poje (East Stroudsberg, PA) suffered a tough loss at number three singles 6-4 6-4. First year Casey Burns (Westbrook, CT) had a big comeback in the second set, but ultimately lost 6-2 6-4. Junior Rachel Wagner (Framingham, MA) trailed in her fifth singles match, but came out the victor after her Adelphi competitor retired due to injury.
Senior Lindsay Baum (North Salem, NY) had no trouble handling her Adelphi opponent, taking her out 6-3 6-1. With Baum’s win, the Penmen captured four wins for the match, but Adelphi had upper hand and beat them 5-4, giving the Penmen their first loss of the season.
Following this loss, the Penmen faced another challenge at Stonehill on Tuesday October 3. The Penmen had trouble picking up momentum throughout the course of the match, and ultimately fell 7-2 to the Skyhawks. Due to unfortunate circumstances, Morais and Wagner were unable to partake in this match. This resulted in Coach Greg Coache making major changes to the team’s typical lineup. This caused the Penmen great trouble and allowed for the Skyhawks to take command of the match. Sala won the lone two matches, one at number one singles and the other at number one doubles with Burns.
In addition to regular season action, the Penmen had the opportunity to partake in the International Tennis Association (ITA) East Regional Tennis Championships at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Queens, New York on the weekend of September 22. While most bowed out of the tournament during early rounds, Burns and Poje were forced to retire early due to illness and injury. Morais, however, earned a spot in the quarterfinals.
The Penmen return to action on Saturday, October 7 when they travel to Lemoyne.
