Skyhawks all win in straight sets to earn 10th victory of the season

Lindsey Herchel (above) and Jacquelyn Harrow (right) cracked the East Regional doubles rankings this week.

WORCESTER, Mass. (April 2, 2011) – Stonehill College, maintaining the #4 ranking in this week’s Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II East Regional poll, swept their third consecutive Northeast-10 Conference match this afternoon, blanking host Assumption College 9-0.

Senior Lindsey Herchel (Hampden, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) and sophomore Jacquelyn Harrow (North Reading, Mass./North Reading), who broke into the East Region doubles rankings this week at #10, pulled out a 9-7 victory over Assumption’s Erica Micciche and Jennifer Erickson at No. 1 doubles to lead the Skyhawks in the closest match of the day. The duos of Leah White (Walpole, Mass./Bishop Feehan)/Kaitlyn Martin (Medway, Mass./Medway) and Amy Toegemann (Narragansett, R.I./The Lincoln School)/Paige Frost (Brigantine, N.J./Holy Spirit) cruised to 8-1 wins in the second and third slots to open the match with a sweep of the doubles slate.

Herchel also faced Micciche at No. 1 singles, coming away with a 6-2, 6-1 win, and Toegemann, White, and Frost joined her as double winners with straight-sets singles victories. Martin faced an early challenge in the No. 5 slot, edging the Greyhounds’ Marissa Charles 7-6 in the opening set, but dominated the second set to take it by a 6-0 score. Junior Sarah Hickey (Lee, Mass./Lee) extended her winning streak at No. 6 singles with a 6-1, 6-1 decision.

The Skyhawks’ fifth consecutive victory improves their conference record to 6-0 to maintain a tie for first in the standings with Southern New Hampshire University, who will visit Stonehill for a key NE-10 matchup next Friday.

Stonehill (10-1, 6-0 NE-10) next hosts American International College on Monday afternoon at 3 p.m.