| Matchup |
Merrimack (11-5) at
Stonehill (12-1) |
| Date//Time |
Sunday, Oct. 28, 2018 // 2:00 p.m. |
| Venue |
Charles Watt Tennis Courts // Easton, Mass. |
| Multimedia |
Live Results // Twitter // Instagram |
NORTH ANDOVER, Mass. – With the chance to win the program's first Northeast-10 Conference Championship since 2013-14, the Warriors will return to Easton, Mass. to face top-seeded Stonehill on Sunday afternoon at 2 p.m. from the Charles Watt Tennis Courts on the Skyhawks' campus. For the program, it will be its first appearance in a NE10 Final since the 2014-15 campaign, which also was at Stonehill.
2018 NE10 Women's Tennis Championship Schedule
Wednesday, October 24th
First Round
Match #1: #6 Assumption at #3 Adelphi (1:00 PM)
Match #2: #5 New Haven at #4 Le Moyne (1:00 PM – at Syracuse University)
Friday, October 26th
Semifinals
Match #3: #3 Adelphi at #2 Merrimack (1:00 PM)
Match #4: #4 Le Moyne at #1 Stonehill (1:00 PM)
Sunday, October 28th
Championship
(to be held at highest remaining seed)
Game 5: #2 Merrimack vs. #1 Stonehill (2:00 PM)
Five Things to Know:
- Merrimack made quick work of Adelphi in the NE10 Semifinals on Friday, winning by a 4-1 final. Sophomore Cassie Restrepo clinched the match with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at singles. It avenged a regular-season loss to Adelphi, 4-3, earlier in September
- The Warriors placed five members on the NE10 All-Conference teams. Freshmen Rosemary Campanella and Hope Salts landed on the first team at fourth and sixth singles, respectively. Campanella was also named to the all-rookie team. Restrepo received second-team honors at third singles, while senior Lauren Persson and junior Mia Briggs garnered third-team recognition at third doubles. Last but not least, head coach Dena Madden was named Coach of the Year, becoming the first coach of the program since 2013-14 to win the honor
- Merrimack finished the regular season with 10 victories, the seventh time in program history they reached double-digit wins. The squad started conference play strong, in particular with five straight wins
- In NE10 play, the Navy and Gold posted a 9-2 record, their best mark since the 2013-14 season that they went a perfect 12-0. Seniors Mana Seifaei and Persson frequently played at the top-two spots in Merrimack's lineup to help guide to the program to its best season in recent memory
- Leading the team this year, freshmen Campanella and Salts combined for a 25-6 overall record, 15-2 and 10-4 respectively. Classmate Kristina Calistro also received recognition during the season as a NE10 Rookie of the Week recipient
Inside the Matchup:
- Stonehill finished the regular season with a perfect conference record to capture the regular season crown and earn the top spot in the conference tournament
- The Skyhawks and Warriors met at the Charles Watt Tennis Courts less than three weeks ago, with Merrimack falling by a 6-1 margin
- The final score was deceiving, however, as second and third doubles each went to tiebreakers. Stonehill won both breakers, 7-4, to claim the doubles point
- In singles, Campanella won at the fourth flight due to retirement. Third, fifth and sixth singles all went the distance as Persson, Calistro and Salts all nearly won singles points. Merrimack's lineup will slightly vary tomorrow as Persson will play at No. 2 while Restrepo, Calistro, Campanella and Salts will slot in behind her
Up Next
Regardless of Sunday's result, Merrimack will be off until the spring portion of its season. With the Warriors' current record, Merrimack could enter the conversation for the NCAA East Regional, which is played later in the spring semester.
