NEC Release
Updated Bracket
FDU vs. SHU Results

WEST WINDSOR, N.J. -- The Fairleigh Dickinson women's tennis team will be playing in the Northeast Conference Tournament's championship match for the fourth-straight season after sweeping No. 5 Sacred Heart, 4-0, in the semifinals on Saturday at the Mercer County Tennis Center. With the victory, the Knights improve to 10-6 on the season, while the Pioneers end the year with an overall record of 9-11.

FDU, who is the No. 1 seed, will play No. 2 seed Quinnipiac for the NEC title and the right to move on to the NCAA Tournament. It will be the third year in a row the two sides will face off in the championship match. Last season, the Knights defeated the Bobcats, 4-2, while two years ago, Quinnipiac won the crown with a 4-3 victory.

Earlier this season, FDU defeated the Bobcats, 4-3, on March 30.

In the semifinals, the Knights took an early 1-0 lead after earning the doubles' point, claiming victories at No. 1 and No. 2. Senior Egzona Morina (Prishtina, Kosovo/American School of Kosovo) and freshman Celine Maier (Nuremberg, Germany /Bertolt-Brecht-Schule Nuremberg) were the first duo to finish, defeating Lindsey Post and Katie Derienzo at No. 2, 8-3. At No. 1, senior Anna Rapoport (Moscow, Russia/#1239 ) and freshman Nicole Chis (Highland Park, N.J./Highland Park) were 8-3 victors over Gabi Kaldan and Nicole Rydzewski.

In singles action, FDU won at No. 1, No. 4 and No. 6 to clinch its berth in the title match. Rapoport cruised to a 6-3, 6-1 victory at No. 1 over Kaldan, while Maier was unchallenged at No. 4 in a 6-0, 6-1 defeat of Post. Junior Manuela Leme (Varginha, Brazil/E.E. Antania Alves Cruz) then won at No. 6 over Alyssa Migliorini, 6-1, 6-1.

Sunday's NEC Tournament championship match is scheduled for 10 a.m.