Garden City, N.Y. -- For the second time in the past three seasons, the Adelphi University women's tennis team advanced to the Northeast-10 Championship match with a 5-0 win over the Warriors of Merrimack College on Friday afternoon. The Panthers, the No. 1 seeds in this year's tournament, had been eliminated by the Warriors in each of the past two NE-10 championships, falling 5-4 in the semifinals last year and 5-3 in the finals in 2013-14.
The Panthers (14-0), who edged the No. 4 seeds in the regular season by a 5-4 decision, took the upper hand in the match by sweeping doubles. First up,
Rebecca Fakas and
Elena Nastasi defeated Lauren Persson and Celine Mende by an 8-3 score, before
Elizabeth Kallenberg and
Samantha Perri recorded the same score to win at No. 2 doubles. The toughest match of the day came at No. 1, as
Stefani Lineva and
Karen Serina battled three-time NE-10 Player of the Year Grace Messina and her partner Mana Seifaei.
It was the Panthers who got off the the stronger start, and Lineva and Serina looked as though they were headed to a straight-forward victory by building a 7-1 lead. From then on, Messina and Seifaei began to show some of the tennis that earned each All-Conference selection this season, and pulled the match back on serve at 7-6. Lineva and Serina would not be denied, however, breaking serve to seal the win and the 3-0 lead.
As the Warriors claimed the opening set at No. 1, No. 2 and No. 3 singles, Fakas put the Brown and Gold just one point away from victory as the first player finished on the singles court -- winning at No. 4, 6-1, 6-2. She set the stage for Kallenberg who, after dropping a quick opening set against Giatrelis, rallied late in the second and ran away with the third to seal the match 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 and send the Panthers into the championship.
Doubles
Singles
1. Grace Messina (MER) vs.
Stefani Lineva (ADE) 6-3, 4-3 unfinished
2.
Elizabeth Kallenberg (ADE) def. Chealsey Giatrellis (MER) 2-6, 6-3, 6-1
3. Mana Seifaei (MER) vs.
Karen Serina (ADE) 6-4, 2-3 unfinished
4.
Rebecca Fakas (ADE) def. Lauren Persson (MER) 6-1, 6-2
5.
Samantha Perri (ADE) vs. Danielle Dunn 0-0 (15-15) unfinished
6.
Elena Nastasi (ADE) vs. Mackenzie Blair (MER) not played
Looking to win the program's first NE-10 tournament crown, the Panthers will host the winner of today's second semifinal between the No. 2 seeded Penmen of Southern New Hampshire and No. 4 seeded Stonehill College Skyhawks at 1 pm on Sunday afternoon.
About Adelphi AthleticsAdelphi University joined the Northeast-10 Conference in the Fall of 2009 and in the past six seasons has collected 12 regular season conference titles, 18 tournament championships, 27 individual crowns and captured the Northeast-10 President's Cup twice (2013 and 2014), while winning five NCAA Division II National Championships.
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