Gulls defeat Seahawks in TCCC action, 6-3

BEVERLY, Mass. - Endicott College took two of the three doubles contests, and then rattled off wins in the top four singles matches, as the Gulls topped Salve Regina, 6-3, in TCCC women's tennis action on Saturday afternoon in Beverly, Mass. The victory improves the Gulls to 5-2 overall (3-2 TCCC) while the Seahawks slip to 1-4 and 1-3 in league play.

The afternoon opened well for Salve Regina, as the Seahawks' top doubles team of Erin Phillips (Morristown, N.J.) and Jessica Timpano (Narragansett, R.I.) doubled-up Kate Cioffi (Essex, Vt.) an Alyson Boehm (Lowell, Mass.), 8-4. The Gulls responded with wins by teammates Nicole Breting (Johnston, R.I.) and Lori Wardner (Wrentham, Mass.) over Valerie Leso (West Warwick, R.I.) and Nichol Stevens (Chester, Conn.), 8-6. Rachel Layton (Falmouth, Maine) and Emily Annis (Hampton, N.H.) closed out the team play with an 8-3 win.

Riding the momentum of a 2-1 start, Endicott's top four singles players were all victorious to seal the win for the Gulls. Kate Cioffi defeated Erin Phillips, 6-3, 6-4, while Nicole Breting beat Nichol Stevens, 6-4, 6-1. At No. 3 singles, Lori Wardner took home a closely contested match-up against Jessica Timpano, 7-5, 6-4. Alyson Boehm was also victorious, edging Valerie Leso, 6-4, 6-2. Salve's Erin Henriksen (East Hampton, Conn.) and Elise Jones (Pittsfield, Mass.) rounded out the singles games with wins of 6-3, 6-0, and 6-2, 6-3, respectively.

"Despite trailing after doubles, we actually took a 3-2 lead when Erin Henriksen and Elise Jones emerged victorious in their respective singles matches," said Seahawk head coach Ed Habershaw. "Our top four competed hard against the Gulls and each had her opponent frustrated during the match, but unfortunately that did not result in wins. Nonetheless, our Seahawks keep making progress against tough opponents."

Endicott looks to stay on the winning track on Tuesday with a rematch of last year's TCCC finals against Colby-Sawyer. The Gulls host the Chargers on Tuesday at 4 p.m. Salve Regina returns home on the same day with a league match-up against Regis College at 3:30 p.m.

Courtesy of Endicott sports information