DARTMOUTH, Mass. – Fifth-seeded Plymouth State University fell to fourth-seeded University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, 5-0, in the first round of the 2023 Little East Conference (LEC) Women's Tennis Tournament at the UMD Courts on Tuesday afternoon.
Plymouth State ends the season with a 6-7 record, while the Corsairs improve to 9-6 and advance to the semifinal round against top-seeded UMass Boston on Thursday.
Junior
Tessa LaBarre (North Smithfield, R.I.) and senior
Camilla Puzio (Holden, Mass.) put up a strong fight at No. 2 doubles, falling by a narrow 8-6 margin, while freshman
Chloe Ahern (Middleton, Mass.) and junior
Amelia Brown (Meredith, N.H.) came up just short at No. 3 by an 8-5 score as the Corsairs swept pairs action for a 3-0 lead.
Ahern and senior
Sarah Asciutto (Manchester Center, Vt.) were both leading their singles matches, but the hosts secured victories at the top two spots to clinch the win.
The match marked the final competition Ascuitto and Puzio.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 0, UMass Dartmouth 5
- Plymouth State (6-7)
- UMass Dartmouth (9-6)
How it Happened:
- Sophomore Alyssa Craigie (Gilford, N.H.) and junior Elena Cardoso (Hudson, Mass.) were unable to build momentum at No. 1 doubles, falling by an 8-2 score.
- Ahern and Brown battled at No. 3 but were ultimately bested by an 8-5 score.
- LaBarre and Puzio put up a fight to secure PSU's first point but were denied in a narrow 8-6 decision.
- Ahern blanked her opponent in the first set at No. 3 singles, while Ascuitto opened No. 5 singles with a first set, 6-2 win, but the Corsairs top two players won in straight sets to end the match.
By the Numbers:
- This was the second straight season the two teams met in the first round of the tournament, with UMass Dartmouth eking out a 5-3 win last fall.
- Plymouth State finished last season with an identical 6-7 record.
- UMass Dartmouth holds a slight 15-13 edge in the head-to-head matchup dating back to the 1998 season, though the Corsairs have won the last four meetings.
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