LAWRENCEVILLE, N.J. (March 10, 2013) – The Saint Francis University women's tennis team started its outdoor season this Sunday with a 7-0 win over Rider University.

The Red Flash swept all three doubles matches, easily securing the point. The only challenge came at no. 1 doubles where Alex Sachs (Parkland, Fla./Stoneman Douglas) and Rafaela Panizza (Jundiai, Brazil/) started off slowly against Rider Marly Roche and Michele Carvaglio. Down 3-2 and on serve, SFU got a wake up call and quickly shot back with 5 games to take a 7-3 lead. Rider held at 7-4, but Panizza closed out the game and match at 40-0.

“We did what we had to do to win the doubles point,” said SFU coach Paul Tobin. “Still struggling with simple tactics and consistency issues.”

Saint Francis came out very strong in singles, taking all six spots with only three games lost collectively.

“Great way to start off out outdoor season,” said Tobin. “We need this confidence boost going into conference matches this weekend.”