WEST HAVEN, Conn. (September 11, 2019) – The Franklin Pierce University women's tennis team was on the road to open the Northeast-10 Conference portion of its season on Wednesday afternoon. For the second straight match, it would be the top of the lineup which would carry the day, as the Ravens got wins at each of the top three singles matches on the way to squeezing out a 4-3 win at New Haven.

With the win, Franklin Pierce improves to 2-1 (1-0 NE10), while New Haven falls to 1-2 (1-2 NE10). Franklin Pierce has already matched its win total from a year ago.

New Haven would take the doubles point to open play, by winning two of the three doubles matches. Franklin Pierce swept to a 6-0 win at first doubles, as graduate student Himani Mor (Sonipat, India) and freshman Liria Loria (La Paz, Bolivia) took care of New Haven junior Stephanie Gonzalez and sophomore Nicole Mika.

New Haven answered with wins at both second and third doubles though. In a tight second doubles match, junior Lilia Rodriguez and freshman Kacie Banks squeaked past freshman Laura Alvarez Tello (Vigo, Spain) and senior Sarah Rich (Windham, Maine), 7-5. At third doubles, it was a 6-3 win for freshmen Katherine MacPhail and Alexa Orlando over freshman Jazmin Flood (Laredo, Texas) and senior Brigid Washburn (Greentown, Pa.).

Franklin Pierce then set about winning the match in singles play. It was wins at each of the first three singles tilts for the Ravens, beginning with a 6-2, 6-2 win at first singles for Mor over Gonzalez. Either second or third singles could be seen as the decisive match in a team match decided by a single point, as both went to three sets. Franklin Pierce had to rally in both after first-set defeats, but wound up taking both contests. At second singles, Loria rallied past Mika, 6-7 (3), 6-4, 6-2. At third singles, it was Alvarez Tello who battled back for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-1 win over Rodriguez.

Franklin Pierce also got a point at sixth singles from Flood to round out its scoring on the day, as the freshman dispatched MacPhail, 6-4, 6-4.

New Haven tallied wins at fourth and fifth singles to create the 4-3 final. At fourth singles, Banks tallied a 6-3, 6-0 win over Rich. At fifth singles, it was a 6-4, 6-4 win for Orlando over freshman Jillian Pagliuca (Taunton, Mass.).

The Ravens return to the court over the weekend, beginning on Friday, as they travel to Flushing, N.Y., for the ITA East Region Championship.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (https://www.fpuravens.com). 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' online store (https://www.shopfpuravens.com).