FRANKLIN SPRING, GA – Agnese Ceccarelli and Avery Oppenheim got their first collegiate victories as the Rider University women's tennis team earned a victory on the road at Emmanuel College, 4-3, Tuesday. With the win, the Broncs improve to 1-2, while the Lions fall to 1-10.

Emmanuel took the first match in the doubles, but Leila Koster and Angelica Garcia earned a 7-5 win, and the team of Ally Garofoli and Agnese Ceccarelli earned their own 7-6 win to take the doubles point. 

The Broncs struck first in singles, taking the first singles match before the Lions would take the next three. The Broncs would then take the last two singles matches to tie the match 3-3. Avery Oppenheim then clinched the Rider victory with a 6-4, 6-2, win at No. 3 singles.

"It was an emotional day for our women," said Head Coach Tom Battaglia. "Avery clinched hte match for us, which is always exciting. This was Agnese's first match after tearing her ACL last season. I've never met somebody so determined to fight back and get on the court. I'm really pleased with their effort against a tough Emmanuel squad. they really made us work for it. They were never out of a point and I really think we did a great job in transition playing inside the court." 

The Broncs return to action Friday, March 18^th when they host St. Francis Brooklyn in the Spring home opener. Matches are set to begin at 2 p.m.