Newark, N.J. – The Fairfield University women's tennis team took on teams from Quinnipiac, Saint Peter's, Sacred Heart, and host NJIT at the 2012 NJIT Invitational.  The three-day event was moved from Hofstra, indoors to NJIT with the anticipated rain in the forecast. 
 
In the singles top half, last year's MAAC Championship Most Outstanding Player Sharissa Ryan, made it to the finals where she dropped to NJIT's Kuzmenko, 6-1, 6-2.  After a first round bye, the Stag was 4-1 in singles on the day.  In her opening match, Ryan defeated NJIT's Carolina Zanotta, 8-6 followed by a third round victory over cross-town rival, Sacred Heart's Paige Olson, 6-2, 6-3.  In the quarterfinal, Ryan faced Rachel Cantor from Quinnipiac and breezed by the Bobcat, 6-3, 6-1.  Her opponent from Sacred Heart, Gabi Kaldan from Sacred Heart, put up a good fight in the semifinal.  However, Ryan pulled through with a tiebreaker victory after dropping the first set, 2-6, 7-6(3), 10-3.   
 
Also in the top half of the singles main draw were senior Nikki Jackson who went 1-1 on the day and junior Victoria Pirrello who had a bye in the first round and lost in the second round to Quinnipiac's Sarah Viebrock, 8-3.  Freshmen Caroline McCann and Holly Ream both dropped their opening match. 
 
In the bottom half of the singles draw, two-time MAAC Player of the Year Monica Yajima went 1-1 on the day after a first round bye.  She defeated Lavinia Cristescu from Quinnipiac, 8-1 then retired after going down 5-0 in the first set to NJIT's Jana Luste.  Freshman Margaret McLaughlin won her first collegiate match against Saint Peter's Jessica Nowogrodzki, 8-1 but was then swept by Highlander Ksenia Kuzmenko who went on to win the draw.  Sophomores Alison Radde and Emma Samson were each 0-1 on the day.
 
In singles consolation play, Samson and Pirrello each won their first match.  Samson defeated Pioneer Aptekin, 8-3 while Pirrello faced Saint Peter's Janssen coming away with an 8-6 victory.
 
Ryan and Yajima were the standout duo for the Stags in doubles play making it to the semifinals.  After a first round bye, the pair battled NJIT's Melibeu/Zanotta and came away with an 8-7(2) victory.  In the third round, Ryan/Yajima defeated Raynor and Dassa from Quinnipiac then lost to Kuzmenko and Luste in the semifinals.  The NJIT duo went on to win the title.
 
Fairfield's other doubles teams included Pirrello/Jackson who went 1-1 on the day, McLaughlin/Samson and McCann/Ream.  The latter two teams went dropped in the first round.
 
The Fairfield women's tennis team will return to the courts this weekend, October 6-8 for the USTA Invitational in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.