Senior captain Paige Frost leads the Skyhawks into the postseason for the 14th-straight year. |
Skyhawks seek eighth trip to NE-10 Championship match
EASTON, Mass. (April 17, 2013) – Second-seeded Stonehill College, ranked seventh in this week's NCAA Division II East Regional rankings, opens postseason play as it hosts third-seeded Saint Michael's College, ranked eighth in the region, in semifinal round action of the 2013 Northeast-10 Conference women's tennis tournament at Charles Watt Tennis Courts on Thursday.
Stonehill (18-3, 11-1 NE-10) earned a first round bye in the Tournament, while Saint Michael's (12-4, 10-2 NE-10) reached the semifinals with a 5-1 victory over sixth-seeded University of New Haven in Tuesday's first round. Senior Alex Dalton (South Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) was a double-winner for the Purple Knights on Tuesday, while sophomore Hannah Benoit (Mystic, Conn./Saint Bernard School) clinched the win with her victory at No. 4 singles. The winner of tomorrow's match will advance to Saturday's NE-10 Championship at 1 p.m., where it will face the winner of Thursday's other semifinal matchup between fourth-seeded Adelphi University (13-6, 9-3 NE-10) and top-seeded and NE-10 regular season champions Southern New Hampshire University (15-7, 12-0 NE-10) being played in Manchester, N.H., at 4 p.m. The final will be played at the home of the higher remaining seed.
Stonehill and Saint Michael's are both making their NE-10 record 14th appearance in the Conference tournament. The Skyhawks, who have reached the championship match each of the last four seasons, seek their eighth trip to the final on Thursday and have won the championship under its current format in 2009. Stonehill won two championships under the old flighted points system in 1991 and '92 before the league switched to its present format in 1999. Saint Michael's is looking to reach the NE-10 Championship match for the third time in program history in a quest for its first championship. The Purple Knights made back to back title match appearances in 2007 and 2008, falling to former member Bryant University by a 5-3 score line each year.
Junior Kaitlyn Martin carries a 14-match winning streak into Thursday's NE-10 semifinal. (PHOTO BY Richard Orr) |
Stonehill is led by senior captain Paige Frost (Brigantine, N.J./Holy Spirit) and junior Kaitlyn Martin (Medway, Mass./Medway), a pair of first team All-Northeast-10 honorees, as well as a talented crop of freshmen and sophomores who have made a significant impact for the Skyhawks. Frost, who will compete at No. 4 singles and No. 1 doubles, is 20-5 overall for singles during her senior season, including an 18-2 clip in dual match play and winning all 12 of her NE-10 matches as she carries an eight match winning streak into the postseason. She and freshman Kirsti Toegemann (Narragansett, R.I./The Lincoln School) have combined to form the 9th-ranked doubles team in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Regional rankings and earn second team All-NE-10 honors for No. 1 doubles. The duo has combined to post a 7-2 overall record since being united this spring, including 6-1 in NE-10 play.
Martin, who will compete at No. 5 singles and No. 2 doubles with senior Chelsea Haedrich (Islip, N.Y./Islip) is 21-4 in singles play during her junior season, including a 19-1 dual match record having won all 12 of her NE-10 matches and carrying a 14 match winning streak into the postseason. Toegemann, a second team All-NE-10 performer at No. 2 singles as well as her selection with Frost at No. 1 doubles, has posted a 21-4 singles record in her first collegiate season, including a 15-1 dual match record and registering an 11-1 record in NE-10 play, going 9-1 at No. 2 singles after winning all six of her matches at No. 5 singles during the fall season.
Freshman Bailey Paradiso (Birmingham, Mich./Marian) is the 19th-ranked singles play in the East Region by the ITA and will compete for Stonehill at No. 1 singles and No. 3 doubles with classmate Analise Kump (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth). Paradiso, an NE-10 All-Rookie team selection this season, is a combined 39-16 in singles and doubles play for the Skyhawks this season. She and Kump earned second team All-Conference honors at No. 3 doubles, having played to a 12-2 record overall, including 6-1 in NE-10 play. Sophomore Meryl Lawrence (North Scituate, R.I./Mount Saint Charles Academy), a third team All-NE-10 honoree at No. 3 singles, has posted a 37-7 (.841) singles mark, including 21-2 (.913) in NE-10 play
Dalton leads Saint Michael's as a first team All-NE-10 performer at No. 3 singles. She is a combined 24-6 in singles and doubles play this season, posting a 13-2 record at singles, including 12-0 in NE-10 play. She and sophomore Caroline Martin (Scituate, Mass./Scituate) have combined to earn third team All-NE-10 honors at No. 2 doubles with a 9-4 record overall, 8-2 in the NE-10. Martin also collected third team All-Conference honors at No. 5 singles, posting an 8-3 singles record, including 7-1 in the NE-10. Benoit is a second team All-Conference performer at No. 4 singles, having registered a 17-4 record overall, including 11-1 in NE-10 play.
Stonehill posted a key 6-3 victory over Saint Michael's in their lone regular season encounter in Colchester, Vt., just last week. Frost, Toegemann and Paradiso were all double-winners to lead the Skyhawks to victory. Dalton and sophomore Caroline Martin (Scituate, Mass./Scituate) were double-winners for Saint Michael's, combining to notch all three points for the Purple Knights. Stonehill posted a 5-0 victory over Saint Michael's here at Watt Courts in last year's semifinals.
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2013 Northeast-10 Conference
Women's Tennis Championship
First Round
Tuesday, April 16 (at higher seeds)
#3 Saint Michael's 5, #6 New Haven 1
#4 Adelphi 5, #5 Bentley 0
Semifinals
Thursday, April 18 (at higher seeds)
#3 Saint Michael's (12-4, 10-2 NE-10) at #2 Stonehill (18-3, 11-1 NE-10), 2 p.m.
#4 Adelphi (13-6, 9-3 NE-10) at #1 Southern New Hampshire (15-7, 12-0 NE-10), 4 p.m.
Championship
Saturday, April 20 (at highest remaining seed)
Semifinal winners, 1 p.m.
