Porter provided the clinching point in Wednesday's NE10 quarterfinal and aims for a fourth-straight NE10 Championship appearance (PHOTO BY Doug Monson/Stonehill Athletics) |
Third-seeded Skyhawks visit second-seeded Adelphi for key NE10 semifinal clash at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center tomorrow at 11:30 a.m.
NE10 Women's Tennis Championship Central
NE10 Women's Tennis Championship History
EASTON, Mass. (April 29, 2021) – Third-seeded Stonehill College, ranked No. 5 in the NCAA Division II East Region rankings and No. 8 in the latest Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II East Region rankings, looks to earn its seventh-straight trip to the Northeast-10 Conference Women's Tennis Championship match when it visits second-seeded Adelphi University, ranked No. 4 in both East Regional rankings, in semifinal round action of the 2021 NE10 Tournament at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center's indoor facility in Flushing, New York, at 11 a.m.
Please note the time change for the match, which has been moved inside because of the anticipated weather conditions.
Stonehill (9-2, 8-2 NE10) enters Friday's semifinal winners of its last seven dual matches since a 4-1 setback to Adelphi (10-1, 9-1 NE10) in the regular season encounter between the two at Wimbledon 109 Tennis Club in Walpole, Massachusetts, on March 28. The Panthers, who enter the match tomorrow winners of nine-straight, got singles and doubles wins from postgrad Nicole Stay, junior Barbie Quagliardi and sophomore Amanda Franstedt in the regular season win over the Skyhawks.
Stonehill, making its Conference record 22nd NE10 Tournament appearance and having reached the semifinals for a record 18th time, are the two-time defending champions of the tournament, having won the title seven times in program history overall. The Skyhawks seek their 14th trip to the NE10 Championship match, having reached the final six-straight years and 11 times over the last 12 seasons overall, winning titles in 2019, 2018, 2014, 2013 and 2009, to go with titles in 1991 and 1992 under the old flighted points system before the league switched to its present dual match tournament format in 1999.
Stonehill advanced to the semifinals with a 4-1 triumph over sixth-seeded University of New Haven in Wednesday's quarterfinal at Charles Watt Tennis Courts. The Skyhawks won the first four singles decisions after dropping the doubles point to the Chargers. Senior co-captain Isabelle Porter took a three-set victory over Nicole Mika at No. 3 singles to clinch the match. Juniors Samantha Ormesher and Emma Markaryan, along with sophomore Steffi Antao also posted singles wins in the rally.
Friday's semifinal will be a homecoming of sorts for New Hyde Park's Antao (PHOTO BY Doug Monson/Stonehill Athletics) |
Adelphi is making its 11th-straight NE10 Tournament appearance since joining the Conference in 2009, having reached the semifinals for the eighth time after a 4-1 win over seventh-seeded Assumption University in Wednesday's quarterfinal round. Quagliardi and Stay were double-winners for the Panthers on the afternoon, with Quagliardi providing the match-clinching point with her 6-1, 6-3 win at No. 2 singles.
Adelphi looks to earn a trip to the NE10 Championship match for the fifth time, seeking its fourth title. All three of the Panthers NE10 championships came consecutively and at Stonehill's expense in 2015, 2016 and 2017. Adelphi is 5-0 all-time against the Skyhawks in the postseason, including a 4-0 clip in the NE10 Tournament after the three-straight championship wins marking their last encounters in postseason play. The Panthers are 10-6 against Stonehill all-time, including 5-1 at home.
Friday's NE10 semifinal match will likely also carry significance beyond a trip to the NE10 Championship as Adelphi and Stonehill are ranked No. 4 and No. 5, respectively in the first NCAA Division II East Region rankings released by the NCAA selection committee on Wednesday. This year, four teams from each of the eight NCAA Division II regions will earn NCAA Tournament bids, including automatic bids awarded by Conferences. While an NE10 title on Sunday would grant an automatic bid, the winner of tomorrow's semifinal between two program's vying for the No. 4 seed could be significant.
Stonehill, under the direction of first-year head coach Lynne Smith, has returned five of the eight members of its lineup from the 2019 NE10 Championship match, a 5-1 win over Le Moyne College. Five members of the team collected a total of six All-NE10 honors from the Conference's coaches on Tuesday. Markaryan, a four-time All-NE10 performer with her spot on the first team at No. 3 doubles with sophomore Lily Peter, and third team at No. 4 singles, has won her last six singles matches for the Skyhawks, as well as Ormesher, a five-time All-NE10 performer after earning third team honors at No. 5 singles and No. 2 doubles.
Sophomore Cristina Solorzano Valencia, ranked No. 6 in the most recent Oracle/ITA Division II East Region singles rankings, has won her last four singles decisions, including a pair against regionally-ranked opponents and a win against the current and a former NE10 Player of the Year. She was selected to the All-NE10 third team at No. 1 singles, while Peter also collected All-NE10 second team accolades at No. 6 singles.
Solorzano Valencia is ranked No. 6 in the East Region singles rankings and will lead the way at No. 1 singles and doubles on Friday (PHOTO BY Doug Monson/Stonehill Athletics) |
Stonehill Projected Lineup
#1 Singles: Cristina Solorzano Valencia (Morelia, Mexico/Weil Tennis Academy & Preparatory School (Calif.))
Overall: 5-1 vs. NE10: 5-1 #1 Singles: 5-1
2021 vs. Adelphi: No decision vs. Nicole Kielan (2-6, 6-3, unf)
#2 Singles: Steffi Antao (New Hyde Park, New York/New Hyde Park Memorial)
Overall: 5-2 vs. NE10: 4-2 #2 Singles: 5-2
2021 vs. Adelphi: Lost Barbie Quagliardi (6-4, 6-0)
#3 Singles: Isabelle Porter (Jupiter, Florida/William T. Dwyer)
Overall: 3-1 vs. NE10: 2-1 #3 Singles: 3-1
2021 vs. Adelphi: Lost vs. Amanda Franstedt (6-0, 6-0)
#4 Singles: Emma Markaryan (Palm Beach Gardens, Florida/Suncoast)
Overall: 8-1 vs. NE10: 7-1 #4 Singles: 6-1
2021 vs. Adelphi: Lost vs. Nicole Stay (6-4, 6-4)
#5 Singles: Samantha Ormesher (Toronto, Ontario/Loretto Abbey Catholic School)
Overall: 6-1 vs. NE10: 5-1 #5 Singles: 6-0
2021 vs. Adelphi: No decision vs. Julia Kielan (3-4, unf)
#6 Singles: Lily Peter (Weymouth, Massachusetts/Weymouth)
Overall: 3-1 vs. NE10: 3-1 #6 Singles: 2-1
2021 vs. Adelphi: Won by default
#1 Doubles: Solorzano Valencia/Antao
Overall: 6-2 vs. NE10: 6-2 #1 Doubles: 6-2
2021 vs. Adelphi: Lost vs. Kielan/Quagliardi (6-2)
#2 Doubles: Porter/Ormesher
Overall: 6-2 vs. NE10: 6-1 #2 Doubles: 6-2
2021 vs. Adelphi: Lost vs. Franstedt/Stay (6-1)
#3 Doubles: Markaryan/Peter
Overall: 4-1 vs. NE10: 4-0 #3 Doubles: 4-1
2021 vs. Adelphi: Won by default
Markaryan is a four-time All-NE10 performer in the middle of the Skyhawks lineup (PHOTO BY Doug Monson/Stonehill Athletics) |
Adelphi features four All-NE10 first team singles selections, with both of its doubles pairings also being named to the first team this week. Quagliardi, an ITA Division II All-America doubles partner that is ranked No. 4 in the region in singles and a former USTA/ITA East Region singles champion, earned first team honors at No. 2 singles, while Stay was the coaches first team pick at No. 3, with Franstedt earning first team honors at No. 4 and Julia Kielan at No. 5. Senior Nicole Kielan, ranked No. 15 in the Oracle/ITA East Region singles rankings and Quagliardi are the first team All-NE10 selection at No. 1 doubles and ranked No. 2 in the East Region, while Franstedt and Stay are on the first team at No. 2 and ranked No. 10 in the region's doubles rankings.
Adelphi Projected Lineup
#1 Singles: Nicole Kielan (Valley Stream, New York/Valley Stream South)
Overall: 3-4 vs. NE10: 3-4 #1 Singles: 3-3
#2 Singles: Barbie Quagliardi (Istanbul, Turkey)
Overall: 8-2 vs. NE10: 7-2 #2 Singles: 8-1
#3 Singles: Nicole Stay (Flushing, New York/Francis Lewis)
Overall: 11-0 vs. NE10: 10-0 #3 Singles: 7-0
#4 Singles: Amanda Franstedt (Stockholm, Sweden)
Overall: 8-1 vs. NE10: 8-1 #4 Singles: 6-0
#5 Singles: Julia Kielan (Valley Stream, New York/Valley Stream South)
Overall: 7-0 vs. NE10: 6-0 #5 Singles: 7-0
#6 Singles: None
#1 Doubles: Kielan/Quagliardi
Overall: 11-0 vs. NE10: 10-0 #1 Doubles: 11-0
#2 Doubles: Stay/Franstedt
Overall: 11-0 vs. NE10: 10-0 #2 Doubles: 11-0
#3 Doubles: None
The winner of Friday's NE10 semifinal match will advance to Sunday's NE10 Championship to face the winner of tomorrow's other semifinal between fourth-seeded Le Moyne (8-2, 7-2 NE10) and top-seeded and regular season champion Franklin Pierce University (10-0, 9-0 NE10). The title match will be hosted by the highest remaining seed.
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2021 Northeast-10 Conference
Women's Tennis Tournament
First Round
Sunday, April 25
#7 Assumption 6, #10 American International 1
#8 Bentley 4, #9 Saint Anselm 0
Quarterfinals
Wednesday, April 28
#1 Franklin Pierce 4, #8 Bentley 0
#2 Adelphi 4, #7 Assumption 1
#3 Stonehill 4, #6 New Haven 1
#4 Le Moyne 4, #5 Southern New Hampshire 0
Semifinals
Friday, April 30
#3 Stonehill (9-2, 8-2 NE10) at #2 Adelphi (10-1, 9-1 NE10), 11:30 a.m.
#4 Le Moyne (8-2, 7-2 NE10) at #1 Franklin Pierce (10-0, 9-0 NE10), 1 p.m.
Championship
Sunday, May 2
Semifinal winners, Time TBA
