Photo Courtesy NE-10

No. 2-seeded Skyhawks ride doubles sweep to 5-2 win over top-seed Southern N.H.
Frost a double-winner to lead Skyhawks to title, named Championship MVP
Lawrence and Martin also earn All-Championship Team honors

Seniors Paige Frost and Chelsea Haedrich accept the NE-10 Championship trophy. (Photo courtesy NE-10)

MANCHESTER, N.H. (April 20, 2013) – Second-seeded Stonehill College, ranked seventh in this week's NCAA Division II East Regional rankings and sixth in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Region rankings, claimed its fourth Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Championship with a 5-2 triumph over top-seeded and three-time defending champions Southern New Hampshire University, ranked sixth in the NCAA East Regional rankings and seventh in the ITA regional rankings, at SNHU Tennis Courts this afternoon.

Stonehill (20-3, 11-1 NE-10) wins its fourth NE-10 postseason championship in program history and first since 2009 before Southern New Hampshire (16-8, 12-0 NE-10) reeled off the next three titles leading up to the Skyhawks win today. The championship is Stonehill's second, with 2009, under the current dual match format to go with a pair of titles under the old flighted points system in 1991 and '92. Stonehill, which earns an automatic bid to the NCAA Division II Tournament, has reached the 20-win plateau for the second time in program history and are just a win shy of the program record of 21 (21-4) set by the 2008-09 team that went on to reach the NCAA Championships.

Senior captain Paige Frost led the Skyhawks as a double-winner and was named Championship MVP.

Senior Paige Frost (Brigantine, N.J./Holy Spirit) was a double-winner to lead Stonehill to the title and was named MVP of the NE-10 Championships. She and freshman Kirsti Toegemann (Narragansett, R.I./The Lincoln School), the ninth-ranked doubles team in the ITA East Regional rankings, combined for an 8-5 triumph at No. 1 doubles over SNHU senior Alena Mukdaprakorn (Hartford, Conn./Kingswood Oxford) and sophomore Diana Vamvakitis (Wading River, N.Y./Westhampton Beach), the No. 22-ranked doubles team in Division II, also ranked second in the East Region.

Frost went on to put Stonehill up 4-0 early in singles play with her 6-2, 6-2 victory at No. 4 singles over junior Kirsten Jean (Bedford, N.H./Bedford). Junior Kaitlyn Martin (Medway, Mass./Medway) and sophomore Meryl Lawrence (North Scituate, R.I./Mount Saint Charles Academy) joined Frost on the NE-10 All-Championship team. Lawrence clinched the championship with a 6-3, 6-4 victory at No. 3 singles over senior Amanda Albuquerque (Weymouth, Mass./Weymouth). Martin, who clinched Thursday's semifinal round win over Saint Michael's College, teamed up with senior Chelsea Haedrich (Islip, N.Y./Islip) for an 8-4 win at No. 2 doubles against Albuquerque and freshman Yolanda Green (Springfield, Mass./Longmeadow).

Freshmen Bailey Paradiso (Birmingham, Mich./Marian) and Analise Kump (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) clinched Stonehill's sweep of the three doubles matches by grinding out a 9-7 decision over Jean and sophomore Jamie Hann (Westhampton, N.Y./Westhampton Beach) at No. 3.

Mukdaprakorn and Vamvakitis were both named to the All-Championship team for Southern New Hampshire and accounted for both of the Penmen's points on Saturday. Mukdaprakorn, ranked sixth in the region, topped 19^th-ranked Paradiso 6-4, 6-1 at No. 1 singles, while Vamvakitis defeated Toegemann at No. 2 singles, 6-4, 6-0 to put SNHU on the board.

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Singles:

Junior Kaitlyn Martin, Senior Paige Frost and sophomore Meryl Lawrence earned All-Championship Team honors. Frost was also named MVP. (Photo courtesy NE-10)

*Doubles:

 * - doubles matches played first