BEVERLY, Mass. – The Endicott women's tennis team captured its fifth straight CCC Championship title on Saturday evening with a 5-3 victory over Roger Williams University at Endicott's South Campus Courts.
During their current championship run, the Gulls have compiled a 76-21 overall record (.784 winning percentage), a 37-3 record in CCC matches (.930 winning percentage), and also captured two CCC regular season championships.
Endicott's freshmen foursome of Hayley Barnett (Marlboro, N.J.), Margot Andreasen (Portland, Maine), Reilly Fitzgibbons (Killingworth, Conn.), and Lauren Rahr (Waterford, Conn.) came through once again in doubles as the quartet helped the Gulls earn a 2-1 advantage headed into singles play.
Barnett and Andreasen defeated Kathryn Hughes (Westford, Mass.) and Gabrielle Riley (Barnstable, Mass.) by an 8-6 score at the No. 2 position, while Fitzgibbons and Rahr posted an 8-5 win over Harley Kaiserman (Setauket, N.Y.) and Caroline McCarthy (Carver, Mass.) in the No. 3 slot.
Hawks' senior captain Lauren Schmidt (South Windsor, Conn.) and sophomore Julia Akerman (Greenwich, Conn.) turned in a hard-fought 8-4 victory against Maxine Bergstein (Hingham, Mass.) and Mackenzie Rhodes (Rye, N.H.) at the No. 1 position to avoid the sweep in doubles action.
In singles play, Barnett breezed to a 6-1, 6-2 victory in the No. 1 slot for the Gulls against Kaiserman before Roger Williams made the match interesting with back-to-back wins from Akerman (No. 4, 6-4, 6-1) and Schmidt (No. 3, 6-2, 6-2) to bring the match score within one (4-3).
Bergstein (No. 5) and Andreasen (No. 2) then remained as Endicott's options to clinch the match and it was Bergstein who came through in the clutch with a 7-5, 6-4 triumph at No. 5 singles against Ali Stankiewicz (Brunswick, Maine).
Andreasen looked destined to clinch the match in her own right at No. 2 singles after battling back from a 1-0 hole over her next two sets against Hughes (6-4, 3-2), but ran out of time thanks to Bergstein who sent the Endicott women's tennis team into a frenzy with a cross court winner that sealed the victory for the Gulls.
TOP QUOTE
"All the credit in the world again to Roger Williams, they were an incredible opponent today," said Endicott women's tennis head coach Jeremy Howard. "It came down to a couple of points here and there but we just battled through and we were a little bit tougher, that's it, and that's what it comes down to at the end of the day."
#OhHeyThatsNice
- When Barnett/Andreasen and Fitzgibbons/Rahr play at No. 2 and No. 3 doubles, respectively, this season the Gulls are 8-1 overall in those matches. That figure also includes a 7-0 mark when both pairs win in their respective positions.
- Rhodes is currently on a nine-match winning streak at No. 6 singles.
- Barnett and Andreasen have never lost as a doubles pairing in their career (1-0 at No. 1, 10-0 at No. 2).
- Bergstein's opponent at No. 5 singles was 12-0 entering today's CCC Championship match.
WHAT'S NEXT
Endicott (12-2) returns to action Sunday, April 3 against NCAA Division II opponent Bentley University at home at 11 a.m. Roger Williams (11-3) hosts Worcester State University on Tuesday, October 13 in a non-conference matchup at 4 p.m. For the latest on Endicott Athletics, follow the Gulls on social media on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
