NCAA TOURNAMENT: #3 Goldey-Beacom Advances Past #2 Women's Tennis, 4-0


Ray had match point at No. 6 singles when the match was halted with the deciding point (PHOTO BY Denise Archetto)

Zheng leads Lightening to first "Sweet 16" as double-winner

WEYMOUTH, Mass. (May 14, 2019) – Third-seeded Goldey-Beacom College held off a rallying second-seeded Stonehill College to claim a flattering 4-0 triumph in second round action of the 2019 NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Tournament inside The Weymouth Club this afternoon.

Goldey-Beacom (16-4, 7-1 CACC) advances to the NCAA Division II Women's Tennis Championships, hosted by Rollins College and the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, May 22-25, for the first time in program history. The Lightening await their official opening pairing for next week's "Sweet 16" match on Wednesday, May 22, to be announced later this week. Stonehill sees its season come to a close with a 14-6 record overall, including 11-0 in the Northeast-10 Conference, winning its third-straight NE10 regular season championship, and ninth overall, before claiming its sixth NE10 Tournament title and earning a 13th NCAA Tournament bid.

Sophomore Catarina Zheng led Goldey-Beacom to the win as a double-winner on the afternoon. She and classmate Lotte Lesscher y Post, ranked 13th in the Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II doubles rankings, opened with a 6-2 victory at No. 1 doubles for the Lightening. Zheng, ranked 15th in the Oracle/ITA East Region singles rankings, then picked up Goldey-Beacom's first singles point with her 6-4, 6-2 win at No. 2 singles against Stonehill freshman Samantha Ormesher.

Junior Silvia Hortelano Pey and freshman Maria Bruno clinched the doubles point for Goldey-Beacom, winning a back and forth 6-4 decision at No. 2 doubles. Junior Alma Garcia Valle pulled the Lightening within a point of the match win, fending off set point in the first for a 7-5, 6-1 triumph over freshman Emma Markaryan.

At the time Garcia Valle won her match, Stonehill was leading or level in the remaining four matches, leaving the result still very much up in the air. However, sophomore Anna Hortelano Pey was able to close out the match by holding off Stonehill junior Annelise Howick for a 6-4, 1-6, 6-3 triumph at No. 5 singles.

Stonehill sophomore Bethany Hammond was in the midst of a tremendous comeback in her match with freshman Elin Anderson when the match was halted after the deciding point, leading 4-1 in the third set after taking the second in a tiebreaker and dropping the opening set 6-0. Junior Caroline Ray was at match point with a 6-4, 5-4 lead at No. 6 singles for the Skyhawks. Sophomore Isabelle Porter, ranked 12th in the Oracle/ITA East Region singles rankings, was battling Lesscher y Post, ranked eighth in the region, into the third set as well, when the match ended.

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