Third-Seeded Stonehill Opens NE-10 Title Defense on Wednesday


Senior captain Kaitlyn Martin aims to lead the Skyhawks to a second-straight NE-10 Championship this week.

Defending NE-10 Tournament Champions host sixth-seeded Bentley at 2 p.m. 

EASTON, Mass. (April 22, 2014) – Third-seeded Stonehill College, ranked ninth in the most recent Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II East Regional rankings, opens defense of its 2013 Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Championship when it hosts sixth-seeded Bentley University for first round action of the 2014 NE-10 Tournament at Charles Watt Tennis Courts on Wednesday at 2 p.m.

Stonehill (16-6, 10-2 NE-10), which earned its fourth Northeast-10 Tournament championship last season, is making its 15th Conference tournament appearance this week - a total matched only by fourth-seeded Saint Michael's College (11-7, 9-3 NE-10) in NE-10 history. The Skyhawks, who have reached the championship match each of the last five seasons, have appeared in the final eight times under the current tournament bracket format, also winning the title in 2009 to go with last year's crown. Stonehill won two championships under the old flighted points system in 1991 and '92 before the league switched to its present format in 1999. Indoor backup for tomorrow's match in the event of inclement weather would be the Sally Blair Ames Sports Complex on the Stonehill campus and admission to all NE-10 Tennis Tournament matches is free of charge.

Five of Stonehill's six student-athletes in its singles lineup have earned All-Northeast-10 honors this season, led by the bottom half of the order which all were named to the first team. The Skyhawks have used 14 different doubles pairings over the course of the season, but feature two singles players who are unbeaten in NE-10 play this spring and a third with just one league loss.

Senior captain Kaitlyn Martin (Mattapoisett, Mass./Medway) leads Stonehill's three first team All-NE-10 performers this season with a combined 38-16 record in singles and doubles play. She has posted a 20-6 singles record, including 12-0 in NE-10 matches, having gone 11-3 at No. 5 singles this year. Martin is 18-10 in doubles play, including 8-4 in NE-10 play, with a 6-6 mark with her current partner, sophomore Bailey Paradiso (Birmingham, Mich./Marian), including 4-4 in NE-10 matches. Martin is a three-time All-Northeast-10 performer and enters the postseason with a career combined record of 132-43 (.754), including 69-9 (.885) in NE-10 play, over her four seasons.


Sophomore Bailey Paradiso will line up at No. 2 singles and No. 1 doubles on Wednesday.

Paradiso, a third team All-NE-10 performer at No. 2 singles this season, owns a combined 31-18 in singles and doubles play this season, posting a 14-9 singles record, including 9-3 in league play, to go with her 6-6 doubles record with Martin.

Sophomore Analise Kump (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) and freshman Lorraine Smith (Littleton, Colo./D'Evelyn) round out Stonehill's first team All-Conference performers at No. 4 and No. 6 singles, respectively. Kump is a combined 35-15 in singles and doubles play this season, posting a 20-7 singles record (11-1 NE-10) while going 4-1 at No. 3 doubles with Smith since the two were paired, including 4-0 in NE-10 play. Smith is a combined 23-6 in her first collegiate season, posting a 15-5 singles record (11-0 NE-10) to go with her doubles mark with Kump.

Junior Meryl Lawrence (North Scituate, R.I./Mount Saint Charles Academy), a three-time All-NE-10 performer with her second straight third team award at No. 3 singles, rounds out the five who have collected All-Conference honors for Stonehill this season. She is a combined 31-18 in singles and doubles play this season, posting a 16-10 singles mark (9-3 NE-10) to go with a 2-1 record with sophomore Kirsti Toegemann (Narragansett, R.I./The Lincoln School) at No. 2 doubles. Toegemann, the 20th-ranked singles player in the East Region by the ITA, rounds out the Skyhawks lineup at No. 1 singles.

Bentley (8-10, 7-5 NE-10) is making its 14th NE-10 Tournament appearance this week and seeks its first tournament championship. The Falcons have reached the NE-10 Championship match three times, including 2009 when they were defeated by Stonehill 5-1. Bentley has made four straight first round exits since that 2009 championship appearance, including a 5-0 setback at Adelphi University in 2013.


Sophomore Analise Kump joins Martin as a first team All-Conference performer for Stonehill this season.

Sophomore Brittani Hetyei (Vernon, N.J./Vernon) and freshman Susan Stowe (Hebron, Conn./RHAM) lead Bentley as All-Northeast-10 performers this season. Hetyei earned third team honors at No. 4 singles and has posted an 8-6 record overall, including 6-3 in NE-10 play, this season. Stowe also earned third team honors for the Falcons at No. 5 singles and is 9-4 in her first collegiate season, including 5-1 in league action.

Sophomore Ludmila Yamus (Deer Park, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills) has posted a 9-9 record for Bentley at No. 1 singles, including 7-4 in NE-10 play, while classmate Catherine Gianino (Burlington, Mass./Burlington) competes at No. 2 singles and has posted a 7-5 mark against NE-10 opposition.

Wednesday marks the first postseason meeting between these two programs since the 2009 NE-10 Championship match. Stonehill posted an 8-1 victory over Bentley in the regular season encounter between these two teams back on March 25 in Ames Sports Complex. Paradiso led the way for Stonehill with wins at No. 1 singles and doubles. She teamed up with Martin for an 8-2 doubles win over Yamus and freshman Rachel Petrini (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand) to lead a sweep of the three doubles matches for the Skyhawks. Paradiso added a 6-3, 6-1 win over Yamus that clinched the team win. Martin was also a double-winner for Stonehill, adding a 7-6 (7-2), 6-1 victory at No. 4 singles against Hetyei. Stowe earned Bentley's lone point with an 8-4 pro-set win against junior Olivia Schneider (Rochester, N.Y./Our Lady of Mercy) at No. 6 singles.

The winner of Wednesday's first round clash will advance to Friday's NE-10 semifinal round to face second-seeded Adelphi University (12-5, 11-1 NE-10), which earned a first round bye along with top-seeded and NE-10 regular season champions Merrimack College (13-4, 12-0 NE-10), at 2 p.m. The NE-10 Championship match is scheduled for Sunday, April 27, at 1 p.m.

For the latest on Stonehill Athletics, follow the Skyhawks via social media on Twitter and Facebook. Fans can also download the Stonehill Skyhawks mobile app on iTunes and the Android Market. 

2014 Northeast-10 Conference
Women's Tennis Tournament

First Round
Wednesday, April 23

#6 Bentley (8-10, 7-5 NE-10) at #3 Stonehill (16-6, 10-2 NE-10), 2 p.m.
#5 Southern New Hampshire (12-7, 8-4 NE-10) at #4 Saint Michael's (11-7, 9-3 NE-10), 3 p.m.

Semifinal
Friday, April 25

Bentley/Stonehill winner at #2 Adelphi (12-5, 11-1 NE-10), 2 p.m.
Southern N.H./St. Michael's winner at #1 Merrimack (13-4, 12-0 NE-10), 2 p.m. 

Championship
Sunday, April 27

Semifinal winners at highest remaining seed, 1 p.m.