After opening the season with two victories and a defeat, the women’s tennis team entered its second week with hopes to channel newfound motivation.
On the heels of a close 4-5 defeat against Wellesley College, the Lions returned to the court on Wednesday, Sept. 7, to play Stockton University in what would be the first of four straight days of tennis for the Lions.
The Lions entered their match against Stockton University with a 166 match winning streak against New Jersey Athletics Conference (NJAC) opposition. They extended that streak in impressive fashion with a 9-0 shutout.
The next day, the Lions traveled to take on another conference rival, Ramapo College, where they again dominated their opponents with another 9-0 victory.
The Lions concluded their winning week by hosting New York University (NYU) in the Lions Kickoff Tournament. The College managed to come out on top over its visitors during the two-day invitational tournament, 13-2, which improved the overall record to 4-1.
During Wednesday’s NJAC match against Stockton University, the Lions won in both singles and doubles, with all six singles competitions being decided in straight sets.
Sophomores Sneha Rangu and Alyssa Baldi joined junior Brittany Reedman and seniors Anna Prestera and Katie Buchbinder to win their matches in straight sets for a 6-0 shutout of the singles competition. Junior Maddy Stoner also won her match in straight sets, 6-0 and 6-1.
In doubles, Rangu and Baldi teamed up to win their match, 8-0, while sophomore Grace Minassian and Stoner won their set, 8-1. Prestera and junior Danna Tsay then concluded the day for the Lions with an 8-2 victory.
Against Ramapo, the Lions continued where they left off the previous day. Rangu, Reedman, Baldi and Prestera all won their singles matchups in straight sets, 6-0, while Stoner and sophomore Emily Szkudlarski won their first sets, 6-1, before winning the second sets, 6-0, each.
For doubles, Stoner partnered with Minassian to win their set, 8-2, while Rangu and Baldi won theirs, 8-0. Prestera and freshman Audrey Chen won their set, 8-1, to finish off the 9-0 win for the College.
Following two dominant victories, the women returned home to take on NYU in the Lions Kickoff Tournament. Baldi led the way, as she won all four of her matchups — two in singles and two in doubles. Rangu was Baldi’s partner in the doubles competition.
Reedman and Prestera also secured two singles victories each. Unlike the previous two matches this week, the Lions did not win any straight sets 6-0, but that did not deter the side from winning the singles competition, 9-1.
The same story occurred in doubles competition, where the girls had to fight for their victory. Minassian and Stoner’s matchup went down to the wire, as the two won their match, 9-8. Baldi and Rangu won both of their doubles match ups, while sophomore Katelyn Hojeibane partnered with Chen to win their set, 8-3, and secure the victory for the College in the two-day invitational tournament.
“We’ve worked very hard on the court this week and it paid off today,” coach Scott Dicheck said about the matches against NYU. “Hopefully, we can take the confidence we have gained this week and build on it.”
The Lions (4-1) will finish this upcoming week at home against Kean University and away against William Paterson University.
