Venincasa, Sundquist earn singles wins in LEC finals rematch 

            PROVIDENCE, R.I. – In a rematch of last year's Little East Conference finals, juniors Kerstin Venincasa (Sutton, Mass.) and Jenna Sundquist (Monument Beach, Mass.) accounted for Plymouth State University's two points in a 7-2 setback to Rhode Island College at the RIC Tennis Center on Tuesday afternoon.

            Venincasa earned a straight sets win at No. 4 singles, while Sundquist survived a lengthy battle at No. 6 to provide PSU with its two points.

            PSU dips to 8-5 overall and 5-3 in the Little East, while RIC moves to 12-1 and remains perfect (8-0) in conference action. The Panthers close out the regular season at home on Saturday (Oct. 12) with a huge LEC match against Worcester State in a match that will likely determine which team gets the No. 3 seed for the upcoming LEC Tournament.

            The Basics:

            Plymouth State 2, Rhode Island College 7

            Plymouth State (8-5, 5-3 LEC)

            Rhode Island College (12-1, 8-0 LEC)

            How it Happened:

• RIC got off to a quick start taking all three doubles matches. Freshman Megan Marshall (Dartmouth, Mass.) and junior Maggie McCarthy (Marion, Mass.) fell at No. 1 by an 8-3 score, while Sundquist and Venincasa and freshmen Kira Winter (Eliot, Maine) and Hanna Street (New Castle, N.H.) were topped by identical 8-2 scores at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively.
• Venincasa earned PSU's first point with a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 4 singles.
• Sundquist was locked in a back-and-forth battle at No. 6 singles, ultimately earning a hard-fought 7-6 (7-5), 1-6, 12-10 win.

            Inside the Numbers:

• Venincasa improved to 9-2 in singles play overall and a team-best 7-1 in conference matches. She has topped each of her last four singles opponents.
• Sundquist has won each of her last three to push her record to 7-3.
• Street leads the team with 10 singles wins (10-2), and suffered her first singles loss in conference play (6-1).
• The match marked just the second time this season the Panthers didn't earn a point in doubles play against a D-III opponent.

            Straight from the Coach's Mouth:

            "We played well against a really tough team," said head coach Barbara Rawlsky-Willett. "Our doubles play could have been more aggressive, but our singles played well. Especially Kerstin [Venincasa] and Jenna [Sundquist]."

            Up Next:

• PSU closes out the regular season at home on Saturday (Oct. 12) with a key LEC match against Worcester State. First serve is set for 1:00 p.m.

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