Women’s Tennis Falls to Stonehill, 9-0
Ravens travel to Curry on Sunday
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Melbourne teamed with Rodgers at second doubles on Tuesday
afternoon.RINDGE, N.H. (September 17, 2013) – The Franklin Pierce University Women's tennis team was defeated, 9-0, in Northeast-10 Conference play on Tuesday afternoon by Stonehill, which is currently ranked fifth in the East Region.
With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 0-2 (0-2 Northeast-10), while Stonehill opened its season at 1-0 (1-0 Northeast-10).
The Ravens, despite a high-energy approach to the match, struggled to keep pace with the fast-moving, aggressive play of the young Stonehill squad on the afternoon. In second doubles play, the Raven pair of sophomore Kirby Melbourne (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) and junior Leslie Rodgers (Westminster, Md.) gave the Stonehill duo of junior Meryl Lawrence and sophomore Analise Kump the toughest fight of the match with their effectively-placed drop shots and well-anticipated volley returns. However, the effort would not be enough to stop the strong serving and commanding net play of the Stonehill pair, who closed out the match, 8-2.
In first singles play, senior Natasha McCarthy (Rindge, N.H.) started out strong against Stonehill sophomore Kirsti Toegemann, but struggled throughout the match with her forehand returns and cross-court shots. Recognizing this issue, Toegemann continued to hit balls to McCarthy's forehand causing her to commit several errors along the way to a 6-4, 6-1 final.
Five different Stonehill players picked up wins in both singles and doubles play on the afternoon, with sophomore Bailey Paradiso arguably putting together the strongest showing of the day. She teamed with freshman Amanda DePasquale for an 8-0 win at third doubles and then powered through a 6-0, 6-0 victory at second singles.
The Ravens return to the court on Sunday, Sept. 22, when they travel to Curry for a non-conference match at noon in Milton, Mass.
For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce tennis apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).