Porter posted two qualifying round wins and combined with Barbetta to win their doubles opener on day one of ITAs on Friday. |
Porter and Downey both notch two qualifying round wins as all four singles and two doubles pairings advance to Saturday
FLUSHING, N.Y. (September 22, 2017) – The Stonehill College women's tennis program, ranked No. 6 in the most recent Oracle/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II East Region rankings, advanced all four singles and both doubles entries into Saturday's play, after day one of the 2017 ITA Division II East Regional, presented by Oracle, being hosted by Adelphi University and Queens College, at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center today.
Junior Nicole Downey (Groveland, Massachusetts/Pentucket Regional) and freshman Isabelle Porter (Jupiter, Florida/William T. Dwyer) both posted a pair of qualifying round wins to advance to the main draw of the singles championship on Friday. Downey opened with an 8-1 victory over junior Anastasia Khomayachenko of the University of District of Columbia, and then defeated Merrimack College sophomore Roberta Marcos, 8-3. She will open tomorrow's main draw with a round of 64 matchup with Southern New Hampshire University junior Anna Sala, who also advanced through the qualifying rounds.
Porter edged Caldwell University senior Rebecca Ryan, 8-6, in the first round of the qualifying bracket, and then added an 8-4 win over Wilmington University junior Anushka Sathe to advance to the main draw. Porter will face Southern New Hampshire freshman Casey Burns, also a main draw qualifier, in the round of 64.
Sophomore Alexandra Vo (Washington Crossing, Pennsylvania/Nazareth Academy) also reached the main draw, breezing past Queens sophomore Araceli Bel Aleixendri, 8-1 after receiving a first round bye. Vo will face fellow qualifier, freshman Josefina Torres Martin from Concordia, in the round of 64. Senior Victoria Barbetta (Wesley Chapel, Florida/Saddlebrook Prep (Fla.)) received a bye straight into the main draw and will open her singles tournament against Merrimack junior Lauren Persson on Saturday.
Both Stonehill doubles pairings won their first round matches to move onto Saturday morning's second round. Barbetta and Porter are seeded seventh and opened with an 8-3 win over Aleixendri and Ruth Artaza Martin from Queens. They will face Persson and Mana Seifaei from Merrimack in the second round. Vo and freshman Kate Cunningham (Somerset, England/IMG Academy (Fla.)) rolled to an 8-1 win in their opening round match over Sara O'Brien and Lovisa Engstrand from Saint Thomas Aquinas College. The duo will now meet No. 3-seed Reehan Rashad and Laura Ortega Jover from Queens in the next round.
Stonehill (5-0, 3-0 NE-10) will return to dual match play following this weekend's ITA East Regional, at Franklin Pierce University on Wednesday, September 27, at 2:30 p.m. The Skyhawks host Saint Anselm College next Saturday, September 30, at 2 p.m.
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