PLYMOUTH, N.H. – Playing for the second time in four days, fourth-seeded Plymouth State University knocked off fifth-seeded Salem State University, 5-2, in a Little East Conference (LEC) Women's Tennis Tournament first round matchup at the Bank of New Hampshire Field House at ALLWell North on Tuesday afternoon.
Plymouth State (6-5) advances to the semifinals and will square off against top-seeded and two-time defending champion UMass Boston on Thursday (Oct. 17). The match will be played at the Trent Scott Tennis Courts at Curry College. Salem State has its season come to an end with a 7-6 mark.
It looked like there might be a repeat of last Saturday's decision, which came down to the last singles match as the Panthers held on for a 5-4 win. Plymouth State got out to a good start, picking up wins at Nos. 2 and 3 doubles to grab an early 2-1 lead and senior
Elena Cardoso (Hudson, Mass.) opened singles play with a win at No. 4, but the Vikings pulled within 3-2 with a victory at No. 1.
Senior
Tessa LaBarre (North Smithfield, R.I.) closed out a straight sets win at No. 2 to put the Panthers on the brink, and junior
Alyssa Craigie (Gilford, N.H.) secured the win by outlasting her opponent in three sets at No. 3.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 5, Salem State 2
- Plymouth State (6-5)
- Salem State (7-6)
How it Happened:
- Sophomores Maddie Lorenz (Jefferson, N.H.) and Sofia Orama (Marlborough, Conn.) got the Panthers on the board first with a strong 8-4 win at No. 3 doubles.
- Craigie and Cardoso followed with an identical 8-4 win at No. 2, though the Vikings got a point back with an 8-5 win at No. 1.
- Cardoso cruised to a 6-2, 6-3 win at No. 4 singles, but Salem State came back to grab a 6-2, 6-4 win at No. 1.
- LaBarre dispatched her opponent by a 6-3, 6-2 margin at No. 2, giving the Panthers three shots to advance.
- As No. 5 and No. 6 singles just got underway, Craigie closed out a three-set win (6-0, 5-7, 6-1) at No. 3 to send the Panthers to the semifinals.
By the Numbers:
- Plymouth State is making an 11th-straight appearance in the LEC Tournament.
- With the win, PSU is 6-6 in first round LEC Tournament matches.
- The Panthers last trip to the semifinals came in the 2021 season.
- Plymouth State owns a 3-5 all-time mark in the semifinal round.
- PSU is 28-7 against the Vikings all time. This was the fourth postseason meeting between the two teams. Plymouth State also earned first round wins over the Vikings in 2018 and 2021, while Salem State topped the Panthers in the 2011 semifinals.
Up Next:
- Fourth-seeded Plymouth State squares off against top-seeded UMass Boston on Thursday (Oct. 17) for a semifinal matchup with the Beacons. The match will take place at Curry College with first serve slated for 3:30 p.m.
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