BOX SCORE Flash Points:
- SFU Women's Tennis earned a 5-2 win at Mount St. Mary's on Saturday.
- The Red Flash won both doubles matches and four of the five singles matches it played.
- Saint Francis finished the NEC regular season with a 3-1 record.
- SFU concludes the regular season next weekend against St. Bonaventure and Duquesne.
WAYNESBORO, Pa. – The Saint Francis Women's Tennis team finished NEC regular season play with a 5-2 win at Mount St. Mary's on Saturday. The Red Flash won both doubles matches its played and four of the five singles matches it competed in. SFU improved to 4-10 overall and 3-1 in the NEC, while Mount fell to 3-13 overall and 1-3 in conference play.
At the top doubles spot, sophomore
Laura Gutierrez (Bogota, Colombia/Cibercolegio UCN) and freshman
Nastasia Tamarkin (Washington, D.C./School Without Walls) took on Mount's Hannah Davis and Alexa Quintanilla. The Red Flash duo fought through a tight set for a 7-5 victory to clinch the doubles point. Gutierrez and Tamarkin are now 7-6 this season.
Junior
Raksha Bode (Reunion, Fla./Florida Virtual School) and sophomore
Lucia Seigford (Madrid, Spain/Mirasur) competed against MSM's Megan Gamble and Sruthi Kamprath. The SFU pair picked up a 6-1 victory and is now 5-2 this Spring.
"I was pleased that we came away with the doubles point," said Head Coach
Rob Castille. "Despite not playing our best, we found a way to win. We did not play well at No. 1, but Nastasia and Laura just refused to lose. They competed really well and never got down on themselves. They showed great heart tonight and I'm proud that they kept battling and were able to get the W. That's a lesson for everyone, that if you stick around and just keep battling, you can turn the match around."
The Mountaineers won the match at No. 3 doubles by default due to no SFU player available.
Seigford took on Mount St. Mary's Quintanilla at the top singles position. The SFU sophomore claimed the opening set, 6-4. She repeated that performance in the next set for a 6-4 win. Seigford picked up her fourth win this Spring.
At No. 3, Bode met MSM's Kamprath. The Red Flash junior took the first set, 6-2. She completed the straight-set victory with a 6-1 second set to move to 6-8 in dual matches.
Tamarkin battled Mount's Gamble at No. 4. After dropping the opening set, 6-3, Tamarkin responded by winning the next set, 6-3. In the deciding set, Tamarkin also won 6-3 to improve to 9-4 this Spring.
In the match at No. 5, junior
Stephanie Miller (Washington, D.C./St. John's College High School) faced Mount St. Mary's Megan Smith. The SFU junior claimed the first set, 6-2. In a tight second set, Miller came out on top, 7-5. She is now 8-5 in dual matches.
At No. 2, Gutierrez took on Mount's Davis. The SFU sophomore fell 6-3, 6-3.
"In singles, I was really pleased with the way we played and competed," said Castille. "The energy was good from top to bottom. Not everyone played their best, but they kept fighting and we were able to win four of the five matches we played. We'll address some things this week as we prepare for our final two matches of the regular season. I like how we are playing right now and we're looking to peak in the NEC Tournament."
Mount St. Mary's won the match at No. 6 singles by default due to no SFU player available.
The Red Flash finishes the regular season next weekend with two matches in Pittsburgh. Saint Francis meets St. Bonaventure on Friday, April 13 at 2 p.m. at The Club Sport and Health in Monroeville. SFU takes on Duquesne on Sunday at 1 p.m. at the Alpha Tennis and Fitness Center.
Doubles:
1. Gutierrez/Tamarkin(SFU) def. Davis/Quintanilla(MSM), 7-5.
2. Bode/Seigford(SFU) def. Gamble/Kamprath(MSM), 6-1.
3. Blake/Smith(MSM) win by default (no SFU player).
Order of Finish: 3,2,1
Singles:
1. Seigford(SFU) def. Quintanilla(MSM), 6-4, 6-4.
2. Davis(MSM) def. Gutierrez(SFU), 6-3, 6-3.
3. Bode(SFU) def. Kamprath(MSM), 6-2, 6-1.
4. Tamarkin(SFU) def. Gamble(MSM), 3-6, 6-3, 6-3.
5. Miller(SFU) def. Smith(MSM), 6-2, 7-5.
6. Blake(MSM) wins by default (no SFU player).
Order of Finish: 6,3,2,1,4,5
