TRUMBULL, Conn. – Lucie Tuttle and Sandra Bozinovic each earned a pair of victories Saturday as Fairfield University women's tennis took down Merrimack Saturday, 6-1.
"Still work to be done on the doubles front, but we clawed our way to the doubles point which was good to see," said Head Coach Jeff Bricker. "Overall a solid team win, but a quick turnaround tomorrow against a very good Bryant team, so we will need to continue to improve."
The Stags opened the day with a win at No. 3 doubles by Tuttle and Laina Campos 6-4, their first win as partners this season. Bozinovic and Paulina Bakaite followed them in the No. 2 match, as the duo battled through 5-3 tiebreaker to take a 7-6 win and earn Fairfield the doubles point on the day.
Bozinovic was the first to win in the singles rounds, taking the top flight in straight sets, 6-2, 6-2, for her team-leading 11th win of the season. The Warriors would take the No. 3 match, but a dominating performance by Sophia Prinos saw her give up just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win at No. 5 singles to put the Stags up 3-1 overall.
At No. 6 singles, Tuttle finished just as she started the day, winning in straight sets 6-5, 6-2 to secure her third solo win of the year, as the Stags move back above .500 at 4-3 on the season.
Amanda Nowak was within one game of taking the opening set, but didn't let that stop her as she rallied back for a three-set win 6-7, 6-4, 6-2 to officially clinch a win for Fairfield. Francesca Karman stepped up in multiple clutch situations after a first set defeat, winning a 6-4 tiebreak to force a third set, which saw Karman play out a 10-8 tiebreak to win the No. 4 singles bout.
"I'm really proud of how we fought in singles," said Coach Bricker. "Amanda and Francesca pulled out gritty wins which should help their confidence moving forward."
Fairfield women's tennis is back in action tonight hosting Bryant at the Tennis Club of Trumbull. First serve between the Stags and the Bulldogs is scheduled for 5:45 p.m.
