After overcoming No. 3 seed Georgetown to move onto the Big East Championship quarterfinals, No. 6-seed Seton Hall women's tennis fell to DePaul in the tournament semifinals. The loss marks the end of the Pirates' season.
Seton Hall Pirate women’s tennis team began its play in the quarterfinals of the Big East Championship on April 28 with a 4-1 victory against Georgetown at the Cayce Tennis & Fitness Center in Cayce, S.C.
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Photo via SHU Athletics[/caption]
Seton Hall’s doubles game came out strong early in the quarterfinals. The freshman duo of Michal Matson and Melody Taal combined for a 6-2 victory, while partners Thandy Kangwa and Katie Kim also recorded a 6-2 victory in their matchup to secure a point for the Pirates.
In singles play, Matson, in the fourth spot, put together an impressive 6-1, 6-0 performance to add another point for the Pirates, 2-0. While Georgetown picked up a point in the second frame, Seton Hall’s Anicka Fajnorova played a strong match and picked up another essential point with a 6-1, 2-6, 6-2 victory for a 3-1 lead.
Later in the contest, Kangwa took the court in singles, clinching the quarterfinal win for the Pirates. Kangwa put together a 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 victory against Georgetown’s Sydney Goodson. Their win in the quarterfinals set the Pirates up to play No. 2 seed DePaul in the semifinals the next day, April 29.
Against DePaul, Matson and Taal took the court in doubles once more, securing a 6-4 win. However, DePaul took control to secure the semifinal victory in singles play. Fajnorova fell to Keisha Clousing, 7-5, 6-2, Taal lost to Patricia Lancranjan, 6-4, 6-1, Kim lost to Aspasia Avgeri, 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 and Krista Cerpina lost to Florence Abbott, 6-2, 6-2. Those four consecutive singles victories sealed the deal for DePaul, and the Blue Demons won the semifinal match, 4-1. DePaul went on to win the Big East Championship, 4-3, over No. 1 St. John’s on April 30.
This loss concludes the season for Seton Hall women’s tennis. The Pirates end the season with an 8-10 overall record and a 1-4 Big East conference record. With no seniors on the roster, the team is likely to carry over its entire roster into next season.
Bob Towey can be reached at robert.towey@student.shu.edu or on Twitter @BobTowey5.
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