BINGHAMTON, NY – The Rider University women's tennis team swept all six singles flights en route to a 6-1 road victory at Binghamton Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Broncs improve to 2-6, while the Bearcats are now 1-9.
The Bearcats swept all three doubles flights. The Rider duos of
Agnese Ceccarelli (Arezzo, Italy/Liceo Classico Francesco Petrarca) and
Sofia Gutierrez (Miami, FL/Palmetto Senior) at No. 1 and
Laila Fishman (Marlboro, NJ/Marlboro) and
Jett Coetzee (Miami, FL/Miami Palmetto Senior) at No. 2 came closest to victories, but both teams lost by 6-4 scores.
In singles, the Broncs got straight-sets victories from
Daniela Naves (Alvarado, Mexico/Club Med Academies), Ceccarelli, Coetzee and Gutierrez, while Fishman and
Samantha Killin (Warwick, NY/Warwick Valley) pulled out three-set wins.
Naves defeated Caterina Casadei, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 2, while Ceccarelli earned a 6-1, 6-4, victory over Abby Ackroyd at No. 3. Coetzee defeated Maria Pereira, 6-3, 6-2, at No. 4, while Gutierrez made quick work of Samantha Jaros, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 6.
With the match already in hand, Fishman defeated Loren Cuomo, 6-4, 4-6, 10-8, at No. 1, while Killin rallied from down a set to defeat Nitya Vyas, 5-7, 6-0, 6-4, at No. 5.
"Might be the best singles effort of the season," said Rider Head Coach
Tom Battaglia. "Came out a little nervous in doubles. Credit to Binghamton as they put a lot of pressure on us. They were relentless at the net and we never got comfortable. Singles was a different story. Continuously hit big targets from side to side and we were patient waiting for the offensive opportunities. Great way to close out February for us as we now have a break until we head to South Carolina."
The Broncs return to action March 12-15, when they play three matches in Hilton Head, SC. The first opponent is Saint Louis in March 12, followed by George Washington on March 14 and South Carolina State on March 15.
