FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Fairfield University women's tennis team will travel to Providence, R.I. to compete against Providence College on Saturday, February 8 at the Peterson Recreation Center.
Fairfield vs. Providence: Saturday's match will be the first dual the Stags and Friars have played against one another since last season's match on February 2. In that contest, Fairfield fell to Providence, 4-0, at the Stamford Indoor Tennis Club in Stamford, Conn. The Stags and the Friars have already met this season at the Sacred Heart Doubles Festival on September 7. Fairfield duo Monica Yajima/Allison Radde dropped to Providence duo Prino/Bernardez, 8-3, while Stags pair Sharissa Ryan/Victoria Pirrello fell to Friars pair Zangari/Deluca, 8-6. The Fairfield sophomore team of Holly Ream and Stephanie Ziegler got clipped, 8-1, by Providence's Olivia Hogan and Amanda Pitocco, while freshman pair Karen McKeough/Kaila Nelson was edged, 8-7 (9-7), by Friars pair Ramirez/Hogan. At the ITA Regionals on October 18-20, Fairfield's Yajima/Ryan defeated Providence's Bernardez/Zangari, 8-0.
A Look at the Friars: Providence is 2-1 on the season. The Friars have picked up victories over Holy Cross and Hartford. In their fall season, Providence competed in four tournaments including the Sacred Heart Doubles Festival, Quinnipiac Invitational, Brown Invitational, and USTA Invitational.
Last Time Out: The Stags were edged by Fordham, 5-2, on February 1 at the Stamford Indoor. Yajima picked up the win at No. 1 singles by outlasting Fordham's Elliesa Ball, 7-5, 3-6, 10-7. At No. 2 singles, Ryan battled to pull a 7-5, 2-6, 10-7 win over Sarah Ali. After winning the doubles point, Fordham tied the score as Angelika Dabu recorded a 6-2, 6-1 win at No. 3 singles over Carolina Koladzyn. At No. 4 singles, Nelson was edged by Julie Leong, 4-6, 6-2, 10-7. The Rams sealed the win at No. 5 singles when Destiny Grunin topped Pirrello, 6-1, 6-0. At No. 6 singles, Bella Genkina clipped freshman McKeough, 6-1, 6-3.
Looking Ahead: Fairfield (1-2) returns to action on February 21 when the Stags host Villanova at the Stamford Indoor at 8pm.
