WEST WINDSOR, NJ - Chloe Monachelli (Somers, NY/Somers) earned a win at No. 5 singles, but the fourth-seeded Rider University women's tennis team fell to No. 5 Siena, 4-1, in the opening round of MAAC Women's Tennis Championships Friday afternoon at Mercer County Tennis Center. With the loss, the Broncs end their season at 9-13. Rider qualified for MAAC Championships for the first time since 2010, when all teams went to the tournament.
Siena took a pair of 6-1 wins at Nos. 1 and 2 doubles to take the point and a 1-0 match lead. After the Broncs' deficit grew to 2-0 with a straight-sets defeat at No. 4, Monachelli got Rider on the board with a 7-5, 6-3 victory at No. 5 over Reegan Mullaney. After Siena pushed its lead to 3-1 with a straight-sets win at No. 1, the Broncs battled to keep the match alive.
Daniela Naves (Alvarado, Mexico/Club Med Academies) won the first set of her match at No. 3 against Zaara Omar and led the second, 5-4, when it was halted.
Maria Buss (Bocholt, Germany/Bischöfliches St.-Josef-Gymnasium Bocholt) was down a set and 5-0 in the second against Andrea Vargas at No. 2, before battling back to win the next five games. The second set was tied at 6-6 when it was abandoned. But Siena clinched the match with a three-set victory at No. 6.
Elle Catanzarite (Flemington, NJ/Hunterdon Central) won the first set, 6-4, over Madeline De Faber-Schumacher, before De Faber-Schumacher won the next two, 6-4 and 6-2, to clinch the match for the Saints. Â
