Links: Box Score

EASTON, Mass. – Depsite having three of six singles flights go to three sets, and two of three doubles matches reach tiebreakers, the Merrimack College women's tennis program fell to Stonehill College, 6-1, on Wednesday afternoon at the Charles Watt Tennis Courts in a battle of the Northeast-10 Conference's top-two programs.

The Basics
Score: Stonehill 6, Merrimack 1
Records: Merrimack (8-5, 7-2 NE10) | Stonehill (8-1, 8-0 NE10)
Location: North Andover, Mass. | North Andover High School

NE10 Postseason Outlook
The top-six programs in the NE10 standings at the end of the season will advance to the NE10 Championship. The opening round of the tournament is set for Wednesday, Oct. 24, with seeds No. 3-4 hosting No. 5-6. The first- and second-place teams will get a bye to the semifinals (Oct. 26). The finals are scheduled for Sunday, Oct. 28. Merrimack has already clinched a spot in the NE10 Championship.

1) Stonehill (8-1, 8-0)
2) Merrimack (8-5, 7-2)
3) Adelphi (8-2, 7-2)
4) Le Moyne (8-3, 7-2)
5) New Haven (7-2, 6-2)
6) Assumption (7-3, 6-3)
7) SNHU (5-6, 4-4)
8) Saint Anselm (4-9, 3-6)
9) Saint Michael's (5-9, 3-7)
10) Franklin Pierce (2-10, 2-7)
11) Bentley (1-8, 0-8)
12) AIC (0-11, 0-10)

Results
Doubles

1. Isabelle Porter/Bethany Hammond (STO) def. Mana Seifaei/Rosemary Campanella (MER) 6-1

2. Alexandra Vo/Samantha Ormesher (STO) def. Kristina Calistro/Cassie Restrepo (MER) 7-6

3. Nicole Downey/Caroline Ray (STO) def. Mia Briggs/Lauren Persson (MER) 7-6

Singles

1. Isabelle Porter (STO) def. Mana Seifaei (MER) 7-6, 6-1

2. Alexandra Vo (STO) def. Cassie Restrepo (MER) 6-1, 6-0

3. Bethany Hammond (STO) def. Lauren Persson (MER) 6-7 (4-7), 6-1, 6-2

4. Rosemary Campanella (MER) def. Samantha Ormesher (STO) 6-1, 0-1, retired

5. Emma Markaryan (STO) def. Kristina Calistro (MER) 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-2

6. Nicole Downey (STO) def. Hope Salts (MER) 7-5, 5-7, 10-2

 
Rapid Recap

• Stonehill jumped out to an early advantage with a 6-1 win at first doubles. Each of the other two flights, however, went down to the wire. The second flight finished first, with sophomore Cassie Restrepo and freshman Kristina Calistro falling, 7-6. The third flight finished shortly thereafter, with Stonehill's third pairing topping senior Lauren Persson and junior Mia Briggs, 7-6
• Merrimack's lone win at singles came at the fourth flight, where freshman Rosemary Campanella won her first set (6-1) before seeing her opponent retire early in the second frame
• Persson surged to a 1-0 lead at third singles, claiming the first set, 7-6, in a tiebreak (6-4). Her opponent recovered, however, to win the next two sets and prevail in the contest that clinched the match
• Both Calistro and classmate Hope Salts went the distance at fifth and sixth singles, respectively. The former won her middle set (6-4) to force a third frame before losing while the latter brought her match to a 10-point breaker following a 7-5 second-set win

Up Next
Merrimack hosts the University of New Haven on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. from North Andover High School. The contest will be celebrated as Senior Day, with Mana Seifaei, Persson and senior Meredith Wedro playing in their final regular-season home match.