SHARKS STOP SAINTS IN GNAC SEMI-FINALS
Oct. 23, 2009
BOSTON, Mass. - The Simmons College Women's Tennis Team ended the Saints' season in the semi-finals of the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Tournament on Friday afternoon. The top-seeded Sharks upended the 5th-seeded Saints by a score of 8-1. Emmanuel's season closed with an overall record of 11-5 and a GNAC mark of 5-3. Simmons improved to 10-5 on the year and undefeated at 8-0 in GNAC play. The Sharks will now advance to host Suffolk University in the GNAC Championship match.
Simmons swept the doubles action, scoring three quick points to take a 3-0 lead into the singles play. In the first doubles position, Taylor Dey (Woodbridge, Conn.) and Megan Harrington (Leceister, Mass.) fell to Maile Macleod and Sabrina Salmela, 8-0. In the second position, Nory Hayes (Newport, R.I.) and Catherine Dunphy (Duxbury, Mass.) dropped to Maggie Taylor and Melissa Keroack, 8-5, in a hard-fought battle. The third doubles match went to Simmons' Jordan Borash and Athena Lynch, who defeated Brianna Murphy (Wilbraham, Mass.) and Taylor Kelly (Poughkeepsie, N.Y.), 8-2.
Salmela, who was selected both the GNAC Player and Rookie of the Year, came away with a 6-2, 6-2 win over Dey in the 1st singles position. Macleod defeated Hayes, 6-1, 6-2, in second singles. Emmanuel's only point of the match came via a retirement win at 3rd singles. Katy Hallinan dropped her opening set to Emmanuel's Megan Harrington, 6-3, and then took a forfeit, giving Harrington the win.
Taylor defeated Emmanuel's freshman Jenna Reid (Lincoln, R.I.), 6-1, 6-4, in fourth singles. Lynch topped Alexandra Shakra (Bedford, N.H.) for a point in 5th singles, 6-2, 6-1. Simmons' eighth point of the match came via a win in 6th singles, when Borash knocked off Dunphy, 6-1, 6-0.
Simmons will now host Suffolk University for the GNAC Championship on Sunday afternoon. Suffolk earned its championship birth after defeating Emerson College, 5-4, in the other semi-final match.