MILTON, Mass. – Fourth-seeded Plymouth State University had its season come to a close in the semifinals of the Little East Conference (LEC) Women's Tennis Tournament on Thursday after falling to top-seeded and two-time defending champion University of Massachusetts Boston, 5-0, at Trent J. Scott Tennis Courts at Curry College.
The Panthers faced an uphill battle against a powerful UMass Boston squad that has won its last 29 matches against LEC teams, and the Beacons cruised through doubles play without surrendering a game. Junior
Alyssa Craigie (Gilford, N.H.) picked up a pair of games at No. 3 singles, but that was all the Panthers were able to muster.
Plymouth State ends the season with a 6-6 record, while the Beacons will try for a third-straight title in Saturday's championship match.
The Basics:
- Plymouth State 0, UMass Boston 5
- Plymouth State (6-6)
- UMass Boston (12-2)
How it Happened:
- UMass Boston was focused from the first serve, picking up identical 8-0 wins at all three doubles spots.
- The Beacons extended the lead to 4-0 with a straight sets win at No. 1 singles.
- Craigie was the lone Panther to win a game, stealing a pair in set two at No. 3 singles, but she ultimately fell by a 6-0, 6-2 score as the Beacons advanced to a third straight championship match.
By the Numbers:
- Senior Elena Cardoso (Hudson, Mass.) and sophomore Sofia Orama (Marlborough, Conn.) finished tied for the team lead with seven singles wins apiece.
- Cardoso and Craigie were the top performing doubles pair, going 7-5 on the season.
- The contest was the final match for Cardoso and fellow senior Tessa LaBarre (North Smithfield, R.I.).
- Plymouth State has finished with six wins in each of head coach Kathy Peverly's three seasons.
- Plymouth State is now 3-6 in the semifinal round all time.
- The Panthers hold a 17-8 advantage in the head-to-head series, though UMass Boston has won the last four matchups.
- This was just the third meeting between the two programs in the postseason. PSU knocked off the Beacons in the first round of the 2011 tournament, while UMB returned the favor in the 2019 semifinals.
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