SHARKS SERVE UP SAINTS IN GNAC TENNIS MATCH
Sept. 16, 2010
BOSTON, Mass. - The defending GNAC Champion Simmons College Women's Tennis Team cruised to a 6-0 win over Emmanuel College on Thursday evening in a conference match played at the Winsor School. With both teams playing on their home courts and rain clouds rapidly approaching, Simmons quickly topped the Saints in all three doubles matches to take a 3-0 match lead. The two teams were only able to get through three of the six singles matches, before the rain began to fall, and the Sharks came away with a 6-0 win.
The GNAC powerhouse Sharks have won the conference championship five times in the past six years. However, Simmons had struggled early this season, dropping matches to three tough non-conference opponents. Thursday night's match was Simmons' conference opener and the Sharks easily picked up their first GNAC win in a 6-0 decision over the Saints.
Simmons' Maile Macleod and Sabrina Salmela scored for Simmons in first doubles, knocking off Emmanuel's Amanda Woznicki and Taylor Dey, 8-4. The Sharks second doubles win came by virtue of Maggie Taylor and Andree Sime downing Jenna Reid and Jenny Konecnik in an 8-3 decision. Athena Lynch teamed up with Allison Bodek for Simmons' third doubles win of the night, narrowly defeating Emily Resnevic and Kate Biffinger, 8-6.
Simmons earned a 3-0 lead heading into singles play. However, only three singles matches would reach completion due to the inclement weather. Simmons took all three of the matches in straight sets. Bodek defeated Reid in No.2 singles, 6-1, 6-1. Taylor defeated Konecnik in No.3 singles, 6-3, 6-1. Sime topped Alexandra Shakra, 6-1, 6-1, for the Sharks' sixth point of the night.
In the unfinished action, Dey was mounting a tough fight to rebound from a 6-3 loss in her opening set with 2009 GNAC Rookie and Player of the Year, Salmela. The No.1 singles match was called with the two sophomores battling in a 4-4 second set.
Lynch had defeated Woznicki in the first set of No.5 singles and the match was called with the second set at 2-1 in favor of Lynch. Resnevic was involved in a first set tie-break with Spenser Bowers when the No.6 singles match was suspended at 6-6.
The 6-0 loss dropped the Saints to 2-2 on the year and 1-1 in GNAC action. Simmons improved to 2-3 with the win. Emmanuel will take the weekend off and return to action on Wednesday (9/22), when the Saints will take on Suffolk University. The match will be played on the indoor courts at Buckingham, Browne and Nichols School at 6pm.