Senior captain Kaitlyn Martin aims to lead the Skyhawks to a second-straight NE-10 Championship this spring. |
Skyhawks are off to 5-0 start in NE-10 play after winning tournament championship in 2013
EASTON, Mass. (February 17, 2014) – Stonehill College, ranked sixth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II East Regional rankings, has been picked as co-favorites in the Northeast-10 Conference women's tennis coaches' poll released by the league office prior to the start of the spring schedule.
Stonehill, under the direction of Pam Arpe in her tenth season as head coach, enters the spring portion of its 2013-14 schedule with a 7-1 record overall, including a 5-0 mark in the Northeast-10, after the fall portion of its schedule. The Skyhawks are tied with Southern New Hampshire University atop the NE-10 coaches' poll with 134 points. The Penmen received seven first place votes from the NE-10's 13 head coaches, while Stonehill collected four first place votes. Merrimack College (112 points) is ranked third in the poll and picked up the two remaining first place votes. Adelphi University (109) and Bentley University (100) round out the top five in the poll.
Stonehill posted Northeast-10 wins over Franklin Pierce University (9-0), University of New Haven (8-1), The College of Saint Rose (9-0), Le Moyne College (9-0) and Saint Anselm College (9-0) during the fall season. The Skyhawks also notched non-conference wins over regional opponents Holy Family University (6-3) and Post University (9-0), while their lone setback was a 6-1 decision at Division I College of the Holy Cross. Sophomore Kirsti Toegemann (Narragansett, R.I./The Lincoln School) is ranked 20th in the ITA Division II East Regional singles rankings after being ranked as high as 15th during her rookie season. She is a combined 12-5 this season, including an 8-2 doubles mark with two different playing partners, with a 3-0 NE-10 mark, combining with sophomore Bailey Paradiso (Birmingham, Mich./Marian) to form the tenth-ranked doubles team in the East Region by the ITA with a 2-0 record.
Paradiso, ranked as high as 12th in the East Region as a freshman, is a combined 17-2 so far this season in singles and doubles play. She is 8-1 for singles, posting a 4-0 dual match record at both No. 1 and No. 2 singles, while going 5-0 in NE-10 play. She has teamed with three different doubles partners for a 9-1 overall doubles record, including 5-0 in NE-10 action. Senior captain Kaitlyn Martin (Mattapoisett, Mass./Medway) is a combined 19-5 in singles and doubles play halfway through her senior year. She notched her 100th career victory during the fall and has posted a 9-3 singles record so far this season, including a 5-0 mark in the NE-10, while teaming up with four different doubles partners to record a 10-2 doubles clip, including 5-0 in the NE-10.
Stonehill opens the spring portion of its schedule on Sunday, March 9, against Saint Ambrose University of Iowa, to kick off its spring break trip in Orlando, Fla. The Skyhawks next home match is Thursday, March 20, when they host Assumption College for a Northeast-10 match at 3 p.m. Stonehill also hosts Saint Michael's College for its Purple & White game on Senior Day, Wednesday, April 9, at 3 p.m.
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