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LOS ANGELES, Calif. – The Fairfield women’s tennis team dropped their first round 2012 NCAA Tournament match to host and five-seed USC, 4-0.
The Stags came out strong in doubles, competing in every game but unable to capture the necessary points. At No. 1 doubles, Monica Yajima and Carolina Koladzyn took on USC’s ranked pair of Sabrina Santamaria and Kaitlyn Christian dropping to the duo, 8-0. At No. 3 doubles, Nikki Jackson and Victoria Pirrello dropped to Danielle Lao and Alison Ramos, 8-0, clinching the doubles point for the Trojans. Sharissa Ryan and Allison Radde, at No. 2 doubles, were unable to finish but were down 7-2 when USC earned their second doubles win.
USC captured three singles matches to end the dual and advance to the second round which will be played tomorrow at 3pm against Vanderbilt who beat San Diego, 4-1. In the five spot, Pirrello finished first falling to Gabriella DeSimone, 6-0, 6-1 followed by Emma Samson in the six spot dropping two-straight to Ramos. The final singles match to finish was Koladzyn in at No. 4 singles. The Stag dropped 6-0, 6-1 but was in multiple games throughout the match.
Fairfield finishes the season 14-7 having won the Metro-Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship for the third time in four years and the MAAC Regular Season title for the fourth straight year.
Jackson finishes the season with a 5-4 singles record and a 10-7 doubles mark. She earned spots on the All-MAAC First Team at both No. 6 singles and No. 3 doubles.
Koladzyn finished her sophomore campaign with an 11-9 singles record and a 14-14 doubles record. The Stag also made All-MAAC First Team at No. 4 singles and No. 1 doubles. In the fall, she advanced to the Flight 2 doubles final match of the New England Invitational.
Sophomore Pirrello owned a 12-13 singles record and a 14-10 doubles record, having earned multiple awards along the way. Pirrello was MAAC Player of the Week for her performance during the week of March 7, and earned a spot on the All-MAAC First Team at No. 3 doubles, and the All-MAAC Second Team at No. 3 singles. She finished a perfect 5-0 in MAAC doubles play and with Jackson holds a 7-1 record.
Radde had an impressive rookie debut finishing with a 17-10 record in singles and 16-13 in doubles action. She made the All-MAAC First Team at No. 2 doubles and earned MAAC Player of the Week for the final week of the regular season. The freshman earned her first career title at the USTA Women’s Invitational in Flight I in the fall. Before the NCAA Tournament, Radde held a five-match win streak and was a perfect 7-0 with partner Ryan in doubles.
Sophomore co-captain Ryan had another remarkable season which was recognized by her multiple awards which include the MAAC Women’s Tennis Championship Most Outstanding Performer. She also made All-MAAC First Team at No. 2 singles and No. 2 doubles with her 21-7 singles record and 25-10 doubles mark. Held a six-match win streak entering the NCAA Tournament and in the fall, made an impressive run at the Columbia Invitational to advance to both the singles and doubles final.
Samson finishes her freshman campaign with a 9-10 singles mark and a 5-7 doubles record. The Stag made her college debut at the Quinnipiac Women’s Invitational and advanced to the final of Flight 6 at the New England Invitational. Samson holds a 4-1 conference record, 7-6 in duals.
Co-captain Yajima continued her dominance on the court in her sophomore season, receiving the MAAC Player of the Year award for her second straight season. Yajima also earned All-MAAC First Team honors for No. 1 singles and No. 1 doubles, and MAAC Player of the Week awards for the weeks of March 27 and April 11. Prior to the NCAA Tournament, the sophomore held a team-high seven-match win streak with a 20-8 overall singles record and a perfect 6-0 in conference, and 17-2 in duals.
Casey Miller finished her debut with the Stags with a 0-2 singles record and an 0-1 doubles mark. She joined the Stags in January 2012 from Fairfield’s club team and made her college debut against Fordham University on January 28.
The Fairfield women’s tennis team concludes a notable 2011-12 season, and will be looking to repeat next season.
Doubles
#1. Christian/Santamaria (USC) def. Yajima/Koladzyn (F), 8-0
#2. Polido/Scandalis (USC) v. Ryan/Radde (F), unfinished
#3. Lao/Ramos (USC) def. Jackson/Pirrello (F), 8-0
Singles
#1. Monica Yajima (F) v. Zoe Scandalis (USC), unfinished
#2. Sharissa Ryan (F) v. Danielle Lao (USC), unfinished
#3. Allison Radde (F) v. Sabrina Santamaria (USC), unfinished
#4. Kaitlyn Christian (USC) def. Carolina Koladzyn (F), 6-0, 6-1
#5. Gabriella DeSimone (USC) def. Victoria Pirrello (F), 6-0, 6-1
#6. Alison Ramos (USC) def. Emma Samson (F), 6-0, 6-0
