Women's Tennis Hosts Adelphi for NCAA First Round


Vo, the NE10 Rookie of the Year, leads the Skyhawks into Monday's NCAA Tournament matchup.

Fifth-seeded Skyhawks and fourth-seeded Panthers square off for third time in NE10 Championship rematch on Monday

NCAA II Women's Tennis Championships Bracket

BROCKTON ENTERPRISE: "Stonehill women's tennis team in NCAA Tournament"

EASTON, Mass. (April 30, 2017) – Fifth-seeded Stonehill College aims to make the third time a charm as it hosts fourth-seeded Adelphi University in first round action of the 2017 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Tournament at Charles Watt Tennis Courts on Monday at 11 a.m.

Admission for the match is free of charge and live results will be available via stonehillskyhawks.com. The winner of tomorrow's first round match will advance to Tuesday's second round to face top-seeded New York Institute of Technology (15-0, 7-0 ECC), ranked No. 33 in the most recent Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) national rankings, at Watt Courts at 11 a.m., for the right to move on to the NCAA Division II Championships in Altamonte Springs, Florida, May 10-13.

Second-seeded and No. 44-ranked Queens (N.Y.) College (13-3, 6-1 ECC) is hosting the other East Regional bracket on Monday and Tuesday, and await the winner of a first round match between third-seeded Goldey-Beacom College (13-3, 7-0 CACC), the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference regular season and tournament champions, and sixth-seeded Southern New Hampshire University (15-7, 10-2 NE10).

Stonehill (14-6, 11-1 NE10), regular season champions of the Northeast-10 Conference, and Adelphi (13-6, 8-4 NE10) will square off for the third time this season after the Panthers claimed a pair of 5-4 decisions against the Skyhawks back in the fall, including the NE10 Championship match at Watt Courts to earn the Conference's at-large bid to the NCAAs. In addition to its October 23 triumph in the NE10 Championship, Adelphi also handed Stonehill its lone NE10 regular season blemish on Long Island on October 9.


Downey went unbeated in NE10 singles play in the fall. (PHOTO BY Andy Meng/Stageshot Photography)

Stonehill, making its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, is back in the event for the third straight year under third-year head coach Marc Maloney (42-24/.636) and the eighth time over the last nine years. The Skyhawks are hosting an NCAA regional for the first time since 2013 and seek their first tournament win since a 5-3 decision over Goldey-Beacom at Watt Courts in 2011. Stonehill reached the NCAA Championships' "Sweet 16" in 2009.

Stonehill features a lineup of three All-NE10 first team performers, although just two will be in action on Monday, including freshman Alexandra Vo (Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania/Nazareth Academy), the NE10 Rookie of the Year. She has posted a combined 28-10 record in singles and doubles play during her freshman season, including a 16-2 singles record. Vo went 12-0 in NE10 singles play last fall and is a combined 12-8 in doubles play with four different playing partners. She will team up with classmate Annelise Howick (Jacksonville, Florida/Creekside), an NE10 Rookie of the Week once this spring, in doubles play for the NCAAs, having split six matches as a combo this year.

Junior Emma Prinos (Foxboro, Massachusetts/Foxboro) also earned All-NE10 first team honors in the fall and has posted a combined 22-10 record in singles and doubles play this season. She is 10-5 in singles, including a 7-1 mark in the NE10, and a combined 12-5 with four different doubles partners, splitting two matches with freshman Caroline Ray (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth), her NCAA partner. Stonehill will be without junior Colleen O'Donnell (Waterville, Maine/Waterville), its third All-NE10 first team performer at No. 6 singles, who is studying abroad in Australia this semester.

Junior captain Victoria Barbetta (Wesley Chapel, Florida/Saddlebrook Prep (Fla.)) and sophomore Nicole Downey (Groveland, Massachusetts/Pentucket Regional) will be relied on heavily for NCAA Tournament success for Stonehill. Barbetta, an All-NE10 performer in singles and doubles as a sophomore, is a combined 18-15 in singles and doubles play this season, including a 12-6 mark with three different partners, with a 9-3 doubles clip in the NE10. She and Downey, who will be paired again for the NCAA Tournament, won their only match together so far this season. Downey is a combined 25-9 in singles and doubles this season, posting a 14-2 singles record, including 11-0 in the NE10.


Prinos earned All-NE10 first team honors last fall. (PHOTO BY Andy Meng/Stageshot Photography)

Adelphi is making its second straight NCAA Tournament appearance after capturing the NE10 Tournament Championship last fall. The Panthers feature three All-NE10 singles performers, including sophomore Samantha Perri (Floral Park, New York/Floral Park Memorial), a first team honoree, and three All-NE10 doubles pairings. Perri, who also earned All-NE10 first team honors at No. 2 doubles with junior Elizabeth Kallenberg (Port Washington, New York/Paul D. Schreiber), is a combined 28-2 this season. Perri has won all 17 singles matches, while she and Kallenberg are 10-2 in doubles, winning all seven matches against NE10 competition. Kallenberg is a combined 18-7 in singles and doubles play.

Junior Rebecca Fakas (Little Neck, New York/Benjamin N. Cardozo) and sophomore Karen Serina (East Islip, New York/East Islip) round out Adelphi's All-NE10 singles performers, having earned second team accolades in the fall. The duo are ranked No. 4 in the most recent Oracle/ITA East Region doubles rankings and have combined for an 11-1 record, including 6-1 in the NE10. Fakas, ranked 16th in the Oracle/ITA East Region singles rankings, has posted a 15-2 singles record, including 11-1 versus NE10 competition, while Serina is 13-4 in singles and 10-2 against the NE10.

Adelphi won two of the three doubles matches against Stonehill during the two previous encounters in the fall, with the Skyhawks taking No. 3 doubles each time. Barbetta and Vo lost in a tiebreaker to Fakas and Serina in the NE10 Championship match and by a break (9-7) in the regular season matchup. Vo won both her matches at No. 1 singles against the Panthers, while O'Donnell won twice as well. Prinos picked up a win at No. 6 singles in the NE10 Championship, while Downey won at No. 4 in the regular season. Fakas, Serina and Perri were all double-winners for Adelphi in both matches against the Skyhawks last fall.

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2017 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis
East Regional #1

Stonehill College, Charles Watt Tennis Courts, Easton, Mass.

Monday, May 1
 #4 Adelphi (13-6, 8-4 NE10) at #5 Stonehill (14-6, 11-1 NE10), 11 a.m.

Tuesday, May 2
#1 NYIT (15-0, 7-0 ECC) vs. #5 Stonehill/#4 Adelphi, 11 a.m.