DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Fifth-seeded Plymouth State University pushed fourth-seeded UMass Dartmouth to the brink in the first round of the Little East Conference (LEC) Women's Tennis Tournament on Tuesday afternoon, but the Corsairs were able to hold off the upset-minded PSU squad, 5-3, at Lakeville Athletic Club.
PSU held a 2-1 lead after the conclusion of doubles play and 3-2 after the first two singles matches ended. The Corsairs pulled even after a win at No. 6 and the hosts were able to squeak out a pair of highly competitive, three-set matches at No. 4 and No. 5 to survive.
Plymouth State ends its season with a 6-7 mark under first year head coach
Kathy Peverly. UMass Dartmouth improves to 12-5 and advances to Thursday's semifinal round at top-seeded UMass Boston.
The match was the final competition for senior
Megan Marshall (Dartmouth, Mass.).
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 3, UMass Dartmouth 5
- Plymouth State (6-7)
- UMass Dartmouth (12-5)
How it Happened:
- UMass Dartmouth grabbed an early point with a win at No. 3 doubles, but the Panthers came out victorious in a pair of back-and-forth battles at No. 1 and No. 2.
- Marshall teamed up with sophomore Tessa LaBarre (North Smithfield, R.I.) for a narrow 8-7 (7-4) win at No. 1, while freshman Alyssa Craigie (Gilford, N.H.) and sophomore Elena Cardoso (Hudson, Mass.) pulled out an 8-7 (8-6) win at No. 2 to five the Panthers a 2-1 lead.
- UMD tied the score at 2-2 with a straight sets win at No. 1 singles, but LaBarre restored the lead with a 6-2, 6-3 decision at No. 3 singles.
- Craigie battled through a highly contested match at No. 4 singles, but fell just short (3-6, 6-3, 4-6), and the Corsairs moved one point closer with a straight sets win at No. 6 to leapfrog ahead, 4-3.
- Cardoso took the opening set at No. 5 singles, 6-2, but UMD rallied with a 6-4 win in set two, before holding on for a 6-3 win in the decisive third set to advance.
- Junior Sarah Asciutto (Manchester, Vt.) was nipped in her opening set at No. 2, 6-7 (5-7), but had rallied for a 6-4 win in set two. The match was not completed, though, as UMD earned its fifth team point to survive.
By the Numbers:
- LaBarre ended the year as the team-leader in singles wins, posting an 8-4 record.
- Cardoso and Craigie won seven matches as a pair, while Marshall and LaBarre teamed up for six doubles victories.
- Marshall ends her career with 20 singles wins and 25 doubles wins. Her 20 singles wins are tied for the 17th-most in program history.
- The two teams have evenly split 26 matches dating back to the 1998 season.
- Plymouth State was seeking a fifth straight appearance in the semifinals.
Up Next:
- UMass Dartmouth advances to face top-seeded UMass Boston in the semifinals on Thursday (Oct. 20), while the Panthers' season comes to a close.
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