SMITHFIELD, R.I. – The Merrimack College women's tennis program visited Bryant University for the first time as Division I and Northeast Conference (NEC) foes on Saturday morning at the Bryant Tennis Complex on the Bulldogs' campus. The Warriors fought valiantly as two singles matches went to tiebreakers, and the duo of freshman
Nikala Tuffanelli and junior
Hope Salts prevailed in their match at third doubles in a tiebreak, 7-6. The hosts won the match, however, by a 7-0 margin.
The Basics
Score: Bryant 7,
Merrimack 0
Records: Merrimack (1-3, 0-3 NEC) | Bryant (2-3, 1-1 NEC)
Location: Smithfield, R.I. | Bryant Tennis Complex
Rapid Recap
- The Bulldogs led 1-0 after the three doubles matches. The third doubles flight featured a back-and-forth match as Tuffanelli and Salts competed there for the Warriors. The duo brought the match to a tiebreak after they were squared at 6-6 through 12 games, and then prevailed in the tiebreaker to earn the victory.
- Junior Kristina Calistro appeared at first singles for Merrimack, where she faced Bryant's top player. Calistro recovered from a first-set loss to win in her second set, 6-3, and forced a 10-point breaker. She won eight points against Bryant's Boru, but the Bulldogs won the set by a slight margin, 10-8
- Tuffanelli also played well in her singles match. Appearing at the fifth flight, the Rocklin, Calif. native won his first set, 6-2. Her second set then went to a tiebreak, but her opposition won at that point to force another 10-point breaker, which she claimed as well
- Sophomore Allyson Nerf (No. 2), junior Rosemary Campanella (No. 3), sophomore Mikaela Johnson Campana (No. 4) and Salts (No. 6) rounded out the team's singles lineup
Singles
No. 1 - Boru (BRY) def.
Kristina Calistro (MC), 6-3, 3-6, 10-8
No. 2 - Hickey (BRY) def.
Allyson Nerf (MC), 6-1, 6-3
No. 3 - Oropeza (BRY) def.
Rosemary Campanella (MC), 6-4, 6-1
No. 4 - Kendall (BRY) def.
Mikaela Johnson Campana (MC), 6-3, 6-0
No. 5 - Baeza (BRY) def.
Nikala Tuffanelli (MC), 6-2, 6-7, 10-3
No. 6 - Rondini (BRY) def.
Hope Salts (MC), 6-1, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1 - Boru/Kendall (BRY) def.
Allyson Nerf/
Rosemary Campanella (MC), 6-1
No. 2 - Rokke/Hickey (BRY) def.
Kristina Calistro/
Mikaela Johnson Campana (MC), 6-3
No. 3 - Tuffanelli/Salts (MC) def. Pollock/Betancourt (BRY), 7-6
Up Next
Merrimack returns to Rhode Island tomorrow to play Providence College at 2:45 p.m.
