Seahawks provide two tennis matches for the price of none
NEWPORT, R.I. - Salve Regina University men's and women's tennis programs each hosted a dual match with visiting Babson College at the six courts on the Seahawks campus in Newport. The Beavers took both dual matches by respective scores of 8-1 and 7-2, but the sport at the Division III collegiate level took a giant leap forward.
"What a great atmosphere with six doubles matches right off the bat and then all six courts with great battles in singles for the majority of the day," said Seahawk women's tennis head coach Ed Habershaw. "This is something I hope The Commonwealth Coast Conference (TCCC) can adopt primarily on weekends in the spring because it enhances the camaraderie for all teams."
Salve Regina men's tennis head coach Joe Heckley concurs. "This is the same experience I had as a player at Niagara (University) with both teams cheering each other on. And we both shared each other's respective fan base - our parents got to see Ed's team play and vice versa."
"I joked early on that fans got to see two great matches for the price of none," said Habershaw
For the serious competition on the courts, Babson players took five of the six doubles matches. The Beavers swept the three doubles contests on the men's side with Nissim Cohen-Sabban (Chula Vista, Calif.) and Austin Conti (Murray Hill, N.J.) having the closest decision over Brian Castrichini (Winchester, Mass.) and Aaron Isch (Tolland, Conn.) by an 8-6 score.
Salve Regina got its first point at No. 2 doubles on the women's side. Senior Valerie Leso (West Warwick, R.I.) finished her two-year partnership with junior Nichol Stevens (Chester, Conn.) by driving a forehand passing shot down the line on match point. The veteran pair earned their 14th victory of the season, second-best on the Seahawks behind their No. 1 pair of freshman Ana Gwozdz (Taunton, Mass.) and senior Erin Phillips (Morristown, N.J.).
In singles, Stevens forced a third set at No. 2 before Rebecca Stone (Dover, Mass.) recovered to clinch the women's team score with the fifth Babson point. Sophomore Karlee Walther (Natick, Mass.) won in an eight-game pro-set at No. 6 singles for the Seahawks, bringing her team-high singles victories total to 11.
On the men's side, Seahawk sophomore Chad Strong (San Diego, Calif.) overcame a first-set setback and finished with a three-set victory over sophomore Mitchell Henry (Wellesley, Mass.).
Beaver freshman Sarah Whitaker (Dellwood, Minn.) helped put two points on the visitor's scoreboard with her No. 1 doubles victory (with Stone) and No. 1 singles victory. Babson women won its 10th match of the season while improving to 9-0 all-time versus the Seahawks. Both women's teams conclude their seasons with today's match.
Salve Regina men return to TCCC action Saturday when the Seahawks travel to Worcester, Mass., for a match with Nichols College (12-4; 9-0 TCCC) on the campus of The College of the Holy Cross. Babson men take a 5-4 edge in the all-time series with the Seahawks and will face Clark University in NEWMAC action on Saturday.
Men's Tennis Match Results
Babson vs Salve Regina
04/15/11 at Newport, R.I.
(Leroy Avenue courts)
Babson 8, Salve Regina 1
Singles competition
1. Chad Strong (SRU) def. Mitchell Henry (BAB) 2-6, 6-4, 7-5
2. Austin Conti (BAB) def. Zachary Rosenfeld (SRU) 6-3, 6-2
3. Simeon Human (BAB) def. Aaron Isch (SRU) 6-3, 7-6 (10-8)
4. Nissim Cohen-Sabban (BAB) def. Brian Castrichini (SRU) 6-1, 6-0
5. Danny Schneider (BAB) def. Brian Sweeney (SRU) 8-0
6. Rushab Tanna (BAB) def. Kenneth McCormack (SRU) 8-1
Doubles competition
1. Mitchell Henry/Simeon Human (BAB) def. Zachary Rosenfeld/Chad Strong (SRU) 8-4
2. Nissim Cohen-Sabban/Austin Conti (BAB) def. Brian Castrichini/Aaron Isch (SRU) 8-6
3. Danny Schneider/Rushab Tanna (BAB) def. Colin Gunning/Brian Sweeney (SRU) 8-2
Match Notes:
Babson 5-10
Salve Regina 4-9
Order of finish: Doubles (3,1,2); Singles (2,4,3,1,5,6)
Scheduled as co-ed dual match with women's tennis teams from both schools
Women's Tennis Match Results
Babson vs Salve Regina
04/15/11 at Newport, R.I.
(Leroy Avenue courts)
Babson 7, Salve Regina 2
Singles competition
1. Sarah Whitaker (BAB) def. Erin Phillips (SRU) 6-0, 6-1
2. Rebecca Stone (BAB) def. Nichol Stevens (SRU) 6-0, 2-6, 6-0
3. Monica Mercer (BAB) def. Ana Gwozdz (SRU) 6-1, 6-1
4. Mikaela Stamas (BAB) def. Jessica Moore (SRU) 6-0, 6-0
5. Victoria Lorido (BAB) def. Valerie Leso (SRU) 6-3, 6-2
6. Karlee Walther (SRU) def. Christina Soras (BAB) 8-4
Doubles competition
1. Rebecca Stone/Sarah Whitaker (BAB) def. Ana Gwozdz/Erin Phillips (SRU) 8-1
2. Valerie Leso/Nichol Stevens (SRU) def. Caroline Hobert/Victoria Lorido (BAB) 8-2
3. Christina Soras/Mikaela Stamas (BAB) def. Elise Jones/Jessica Moore (SRU) 8-3
Match Notes:
Babson 10-9
Salve Regina 10-6
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1,3); Singles (3,1,2,4,5,6)
Scheduled as co-ed dual match with men's tennis teams from both schools
Official: self-officiated T-3:45 A-89