Newburgh, N.Y. – Yielding only two games down the entire singles lineup, the Mount Saint Mary College women's tennis team swept the College of Staten Island on Sunday to improve to 6-0 on the season.
Senior Gina Trapini (Walden, N.Y.) improved to 6-0 in dual matches with a defeat of Gabriella Villaruel (6-0, 6-0) at first singles. Freshman Justine Perna (Burlington, Conn.) only needed to play five games in the first set as her opponent retired with an injury. Fellow freshman Lindsay Searle (Farmington, Conn.) ran her record to 6-0 at third singles with a 6-1, 6-0 victory and sophomore Danielle Kehoe (Goshen, N.Y.) earned a point for the team with a 6-0, 6-0 decision. Sophomores Caitlin Giordano (Walden, N.Y.) and Laura Wolons (Middletown, N.Y.) completed the singles sweep with wins at fifth and sixth singles.
Trapini and Perna were challenged at first doubles and eventually prevailed by a score of 8-4. Kehoe and Giordano, as well as Searle and freshman Rebecca Schwartz (New Windsor, N.Y.), posted 8-0 wins at second and third singles, respectively.
With six straight wins to start the season, the Mount is nearing the program's all-time record. The Blue Knights were victorious in their first nine matches of the 1991 season. The season continues for MSMC on Tuesday with a crucial Skyline match against Bard. Bard was selected during the preseason as the favorite to win the Skyline title. The two teams face off at Cronomer Park, beginning at 6:30 p.m.
In addition to the team's success, the Blue Knights were represented well this weekend at the Wilson ITA Northeast Regional Championships, held at William Smith College in Geneva, N.Y. Gina Trapini was entered in the singles portion of the tournament that decides the region's representatives at the national tournament while Trapini and Justine Perna competed in the doubles draw.
After an opening round defeat of Erin McLaughlin from SUNY Brockport (6-1, 6-0), Trapini took on top-seeded Jackie Shtemberg of the College of New Jersey. In a match that was closer than the final score indicates, Trapini held her own before being knocked out of the draw, 6-0 and 6-1. Shtemberg went on to win the tournament without dropping a set and will represent the region at nationals.
In the doubles play, Trapini and Perna drew a tough first round opponent in the University of Rochester's number one doubles team, also the fifth seed in the draw. After losing 8-0, the duo dropped into the consolation bracket and found their stride. Following a default win over Union College, Trapini and Perna rattled off wins over Hamilton and Cortland on their way to the consolation finals. Despite dropping the final 8-1 to Skidmore, it was an excellent run through a very difficult draw.
