By Tyler Morello
Staff Writer
The College’s women’s tennis team dominated their way through the New Jersey Athletic Conference Tournament to claim their inevitable 41st consecutive conference title. This is the longest conference championship streak in all of collegiate sports, including all divisions, conferences and sports.
The Lions first hosted four seeded Rutgers-Camden on April 24. When these two schools met earlier in the regular season, the Lions were too much to handle, winning 9-0. This matchup was déjà vu for the teams, as the Lions were able to sweep the Scarlet Raptors before the hour mark even hit.
The doubles matches were a breeze for the Lions as they did not drop a single game in any of them. Junior Aira Abalos and freshman Marcella Warner were the first to finish, improving to 17-0 as a duo on the year. Freshmen Prisha Priyadarshini and Gabriella Robinson finished shortly after this, while senior Chase Eisenberg and freshman Zoey Albert won their match minutes later.
For singles, Warner and Priyadarshini were the first two to win, giving the Lions the necessary five wins to take home a team victory on the day. However, the other four Lions were on track to comfortably win each of their matches as well. This win for the Lions marked the third straight year of knocking the Scarlet Raptors out of the semifinals.
The championship was played days later on April 27, when the Lions hosted three seeded Stockton University. Stockton came off a win in the semifinals against the second seeded Ramapo College. The Lions had won 9-0 when they faced off with the Ospreys back in early April.
Doubles play started off with Eisenberg and Albert coasting to a controlling win, 8-1, followed by Priyadarshini and Robinson. Abalos and Warner wrapped up their match easily with the third 8-1 victory for the Lions in doubles matches.
The Lions could sense another conference championship was near, and they came out firing in singles play. Priyadarshini finished her game first, qualifying for the win again just like in the semifinals, 6-0, 6-0. Albert was the other Lion who got it done to secure the conference championship, winning 6-0, 6-2. Each of the other four players for the College were on track to win their matches as well.
The Lions added to their spectacular season with a 16-2 record, while Stockton finished their season 7-4. The Lions also finished ranked at No. 40 nationally in Division III.
The NCAA Tournament is next for the Lions, as this has been the big picture all season.
The College will soon find out who they play in the NCAA Tournament, but they have proven to be able to compete with any school in the country. They are looking to bring back the Division III National Championship for the first time since 1986.
