Top Five Flashback: Women's Tennis #1 (September 6, 2014)
Top Five Flashback
Women's Tennis #1 - Seahawks overcome injuries at the top (September 6, 2014)
NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina University sophomore women's tennis player Emma Gruber (New Canaan, Conn.) contributed two of five points as the Seahawks defeated Western New England University, 5-4, in the Commonwealth Coast Conference (CCC) opener for both teams.
Gruber and classmate Taylor Amendola (Westbrook, Conn.) grabbed the first Seahawk point with 8-3 win at third doubles. The top Seahawk duo of senior tri-captain Hayley Maxwell (Pound Ridge, N.Y.) and junior Kasey Walther (Natick, Mass.) fell 8-5 in their first match of the season. Fellow seniors and tri-captains Elizabeth DiFilippo (West Chester, Pa.) and Meg Olson(Colchester, Vt.) were outplayed 8-6 at second doubles.
Maxwell, announced as the starter at second singles, was unable to continue play after doubles so head coach Cory Tusler adjusted his lineup up from three through six singles and inserted freshman Courtney Bailey (No. Dartmouth, Mass.) in the sixth spot. With six singles matches underway, Salve Regina found itself trailing 3-1 when Walther had to retire after just six games at first singles.
Salve Regina (1-0, 1-0 CCC) took the next four decisions for the team victory. Gruber, DiFilippo, Amendola, and Bailey each won in straight sets. Junior Isabelle Weatherby (Newport, R.I.) took her first set (6-1) and held 4-1 leads in each of the next two sets at fifth singles, but Corey St. Louis captured the final point including the last set in a tiebreak.