The Fairleigh Dickinson women's tennis team continued to stay hot Sunday afternoon as they won its seventh straight dual match, defeating conference foe Sacred Heart, 6-1, at the FDU Tennis Courts in Teaneck. The victory is the squads 10th in its last 11 matches. The Knights finish NEC play with a perfect 5-0 record and secure the number one seed in the conference tournament that starts Saturday, April 17. With the victory, the Knights improve to 14-4 (5-0 NEC) in dual meets this season.
In number one singles, senior Julija Korshunova (Riga, Latvia/Secondary School #75) defeated Kate Donnelly, 7-5, 6-1. Sophomore Elmine Botes (Heidelberg Gauteng, Rep. of South Africa/Hoer Volkskool and British International Distance College) defeated Darcy Demers in number two singles, 6-1, 6-0. Sophomore Julia Prantl (Benediktbeuern, Germany/GUS-Gymnasium Bad Tolz) won in number three singles over Elizabeth Harrington, 6-1, 7-5. In number four singles, freshman Egzona Morina (Prishtina, Kosovo/American School of Kosovo) defeated Kristina Chao, 6-0, 7-6 (7-4). Senior Ksenia Chernyshova (Moscow, Russia/Secondary School Korolev) defeated Julianne Kasinow in number five singles, 6-2, 7-5. Senior Jessica DeCarlos (Eastampton, NJ/Rancocas Valley Regional) was defeated by Delaney Downing in number six singles, 2-6, 6-3, 10-5.
In number one doubles action, Botes and Korshunova defeated Demers and Kasinow, 8-3. The tandem of Prantl and Morina won, 8-3, in number two doubles over Harrington and Chao. Chernyshova and DeCarlos lost in number three doubles to Donnelly and Downing, 8-3.
"It was a great way to finish off the season," said Head Coach Ira Miller. "We secured the number one seed in the NEC Tournament."
The squad returns to action Tuesday, April 13, as they host Rhode Island in the squad's final regular season match at FDU Tennis Courts in Teaneck. The Knights will then start NEC Tournament play Saturday, April 18 in West Windsor, NJ. First serve for the Rhode Island match is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
