FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Facing their second consecutive BIG EAST Conference foe, Fairfield University women's tennis returns to action this Wednesday, Feb. 1 with a trip across the Nutmeg State to Storrs for a meeting with UConn. First serve between the Stags and the Huskies is scheduled for 3:00 p.m.
GAME REWIND: JAN. 28 – FAIRFIELD AT ST. JOHN'S
The Stags opened the spring championship season this past Saturday, taking on St. John's in Queens, N.Y. on the campus of Queens College. The host Red Storm would use their early season experience to take a 4-0 decision from a late-night battle with Fairfield that didn't get underway until nearly 7:30 p.m. The Red Storm would capture wins in the No. 1 and No. 3 doubles contests to secure the point on the front end of the night and followed that with a trio of wins in singles action. Due to the late start, the final three duels would be left unfinished, highlighted by Paulina Bakaite who led 3-2 in set two following an opening-round defeat in the No. 2 flight.
STAGS STATLINES
Posting a combined 20 wins in singles action and eight in doubles play during an abbreviated fall campaign helped to give the Stags some footing as they returned to campus last semester, including experience for a trio of newcomers to the team. Lize-Alet Morkel, the sister of former Stag Charlie Morkel, M.A. '22 joined the program last fall after transferring from UNC Asheville, in addition to a pair of freshmen in both Meg Harding and Sarah Liu.
Leading the squad from last fall is Morkel who earned the most wins in the most action for the Stags, garnering five wins to place her one ahead of Harding and both Liu and Francesca Karman with three apiece. On the doubles side, Bakaite and Laina Campos lead the way for Fairfield with three wins in four matches together, which also ties them for the individual lead on the team.
SCOUTING THE CONNECTICUT HUSKIES
Like the Stags, UConn enters Wednesday playing what will be just its second match of the 2023 campaign after falling in the season opener last Friday at Boston College, 7-0. The Terriers would sweep both the doubles and singles rounds, despite strong efforts by several players including Aleksandra Karamyshe who nearly went to tiebreaks in both sets of her duel at No. 3 singles, before falling 7-5, 7-6.
STACK THE MAAC
Fairfield's tennis programs are no strangers to the conference postseason, with both teams having reached the MAAC title game at least once in the last five years, and the women's squad having last hoisted the trophy in 2019. Both squads enter the spring campaign poised to make significant moves in the MAAC, and the rest of the league has already begun to take notice. The women's squad, following last season's run to West Windsor, N.J. the Stags we're tabbed to finish second in the MAAC when the season comes to an end, finishing behind only Quinnipiac. In addition, the Fairfield men's squad was tabbed as the favorites to claim the title, setting up a potential sweep for the Stags come the end of April.
SURVEYING THE SPRING
With a total of 19-matches on the docket this spring, the Stags will play eight games at home, with the first four contests scheduled indoors at the Tennis Club of Trumbull, and the latter of the bunch slated to be played on campus at the WAC Tennis Courts.
Amidst the non-conference side of the schedule, Fairfield will see teams from seven different conferences, including four opponents from the BIG EAST and NEC, in addition to single games against A10, America East, CAA, Patriot League, and Summit League competition. The Stags will open the season with a single game in January but will face the bulk of their competition later in the year, with eight matches slated for the month of March, sandwiched between five games in both February and April.
DOWN THE ROAD
Following Wednesday's meeting with the Huskies, Fairfield women's tennis will return to action Sunday with their third straight road contest, taking on UMass. First serve from Amherst, Mass. is scheduled for 1:00 p.m.
