Women's Tennis Opens Spring Season with 6-3 Win vs. Roberts Wesleyan Sunday

3/26/2017 12:00:00 AM

Links: Box Score

MIDDLETON, Mass. – The Merrimack College women's tennis team swept the doubles portion of Sunday's spring opener against visiting Roberts Wesleyan, topping the Redhawks by a 6-3 final from the Northeast Tennis Center in Middleton, Mass.

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 6, Roberts Wesleyan 3
Records: Merrimack (9-5) | Roberts Wesleyan (12-11)
Location: Northeast Tennis Center | Middleton, Mass.

How It Happened (Doubles)

• No. 1 – Senior captain Grace Messina (Caracas, Venezuela) and junior Danielle Dunn (Middleton, Mass.) debuted as a pairing and won by an 8-3 margin at the first flight. It marked Messina's 16^th doubles win of the season, while Dunn picked up her eighth victory
• No. 2 – Also trotting out for the first time together, junior Mackenzie Blair (Thomaston, Conn.) and freshman Mia Briggs (York, Maine) played at the second flight, and doubled up their opponent to win 8-4. Briggs improved to 3-0 at the second flight this season with the win
• No. 3 – Sophomore Lauren Persson (Barnstable, Mass.) and freshman Roberta Marcos (Monterrey, Mexico) were credited with the win at the third flight, which came via a forfeit

How It Happened (Singles)

• No. 1 – The third-ranked singles played in the East Region according to the most recent Oracle/ITA rankings, Messina debuted this spring with a straight-sets victory over Roberts Wesleyan's top-flight option, 6-1 and 6-4
• No. 2 – Persson took the court at the second flight, but lost in straight sets, 6-1 and 6-4
• No. 3 – One of the most exciting matches of the night came at third singles where Dunn rallied from a 6-1 loss in the opening set to tie the contest following a 6-4 triumph in the middle frame. The match were to a third-set tiebreak, which Dunn battled to win, 10-6, and took the singles point
• No. 4 – Blair won her first set at the fourth flight, 6-3, only to see her opponent tie the match by winning the second set by the same margin. The third-set tiebreak went in favor of the Redhawks, 10-6
• No. 5 – Marcos played in her first-ever singles contest in dual-match play at the fifth flight, and won a back-and-forth second set, 7-5, to force a third frame. Wesleyan's Marline Kennel bounced back to take the point, however, 6-3
• No. 6 – Briggs won the sixth flight by forfeit, collecting the Warriors' third singles point

Results
Doubles

1. Grace Messina/Danielle Dunn (MER) def. Nthabi Mogopodi/Tiffany Hamdan (RWU) 8-3

2. Mia Briggs/Mackenzie Blair (MER) def. Marousia Bosch/Natalia Cardona (RWU) 8-4

3. Roberta Marcos/Lauren Persson (MER) def. Marline Kennel/Salome Darsalia (RWU), by forfeit

Singles

1. Grace Messina (MER) def. Nthabi Mogopodi (RWU) 6-1, 6-4

2. Tiffany Hamdan (RWU) def. Lauren Persson (MER) 6-1, 6-4

3. Danielle Dunn (MER) def. Marousia Bosch (RWU) 1-6, 6-4, 10-6

4. Natalia Cardona (RWU) def. Mackenzie Blair (MER) 3-6, 6-3, 10-6

5. Marline Kennel (RWU) def. Roberta Marcos (MER) 6-4, 5-7, 6-3

6. Mia Briggs (MER) def. Salome Darsalia (RWU), by forfeit

Up Next
The Warriors host the College of Holy Cross this Saturday at 11 a.m. from North Andover High School.

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