Porter provided the match-clinching point with her victory at No. 2 singles |
Skyhawks reach sixth-straight NE10 Championship match with commanding win
MANCHESTER, N.H. (October 25, 2019) – Third-seeded Stonehill College, ranked No. 4 in the most recent Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II poll, avenged its lone Conference loss of the season with a commanding 4-1 triumph over second-seeded Southern New Hampshire University in semifinal round action of the 2019 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Tennis Tournament at Penmen Stadium Tennis Courts this afternoon.
Stonehill (11-3, 9-1 NE10) advances to the NE10 Championship match for the sixth-straight season and 13th time in program history overall, where it will host fourth-seeded Le Moyne College (13-3, 7-3 NE10) at The Weymouth Club on Sunday at 10 a.m. The Dolphins, ranked tenth in the region, reached their first final in program history with a 4-3 upset of top-seeded Adelphi University (9-4, 9-1 NE10), ranked ninth in the region, in today's other semifinal on Long Island. Southern New Hampshire wraps up its fall season with an 11-2 record overall, including 9-1 in the NE10 to clinch a share of the Conference's regular season title with Stonehill and Adelphi.
Junior Isabelle Porter, who missed the regular season match between these two teams earlier this month, provided the match-clinching point for Stonehill by locking up a 6-2, 6-4 triumph at No. 2 singles against Southern New Hampshire freshman Selin Seyfettinoglu .
Stonehill, which saw a run of 32-straight NE10 regular season wins halted by SNHU on October 5, was able to reverse two doubles results against the Penmen after being swept in doubles play in the regular season matchup, to earn the first point of the match today and set the tone for a dominant outing. The Skyhawks rallied with wins at No. 2 and 3 doubles to lock down the point after SNHU's top duo of freshman Magdalena Hubickova and sophomore Alexxa Etienne notched a 6-4 decision at No. 1.
Ormesher earned the Skyhawks first singles point at No. 6 |
Senior Annelise Howick and freshman Cristina Solorzano Valencia followed with a 6-4 triumph at No. 2 doubles for the Skyhawks, before senior Caroline Ray and freshman Steffi Antao clinched the point with their 7-5 win at No. 3, handing the Penmen tandem of sophomore Elizabeth Dwyer and freshman Isabella Andrade their first loss of the year.
Sophomore Samantha Ormesher gave Stonehill a quick 2-0 lead when she wrapped up a 6-2, 6-0 win over Dwyer at No. 6 singles. Andrade pulled SNHU within a point with her 6-1, 6-4 victory at No. 4 singles against Antao, but that would prove to be the Penmen's lone point of the match.
Sophomore Emma Markaryan drew Stonehill within a point of advancing to the final with a 6-4, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles against freshman Mina Hogue, setting the table to Porter to provide the match-winning point. The Skyhawks held leads in the remaining two matches on the court that went unfinished after Porter clinched the match, with senior Alexandra Vo at match point against Etienne at No. 3 singles. Solorzano Valencia was also potentially on her way to an upset of Hubickova, the NE10 Rookie of the Year, at No. 1 singles after taking the first set in a tiebreaker.
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