Tennis Splits Doubleheader with Navy and Manhattan
2/19/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
ANNAPOLIS, MD - The Seton Hall tennis team notched its first win of the spring season, splitting a Saturday doubleheader on the campus of the U.S. Naval Academy.
After dropping a hotly contested match to hosts Navy, the Pirates rebounded to sweep local rivals Manhattan College.
SHU opened the day against Navy and had the home team on the brink of defeat after securing their first doubles point of the season.
Returning from injury, sophomore Rocio Portela (Demetrio Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) teamed with classmate Chloe Sher (Shui Wai, Hong Kong) in #1 doubles. The two second-year players fell to Navy's top team of Emani Decquir and Stefanie Ton, 4-8.
Senior Elizabeth Verow (Barnt Green, England) and freshman Madison Shoemaker (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia) jumped out to an early lead in their #2 doubles match Noelle Kauffman and Erin Snook. After losing their advantage, Verow and Shoemaker rallied to take the match 9-7.
Junior Karina Cordero (Maracay Estado Aragua, Venezuela) and senior Courtney Kilarski (Roseville, Calif.) powered through their #3 doubles matchup with Natalie Houle and Caitlin Olsen, taking the match and the doubles point with an 8-5 victory.
Sher scored again for the Pirates as she eased past Darien Sears 6-3, 6-0 in #1 singles for her third win of the spring.
Freshman Maria Rodriguez (Bogota, Colombia) also won her singles match, outlasting Gabriela Winter 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-4.
Fellow freshman Anna Guryanova (Moscow, Russia) pushed Noelle Kaufmann to three sets in #6 singles, eventually falling 1-6, 6-4, 4-6.
Navy went on to take the three remaining singles points to narrowly edge the Pirates 4-3 in the match.
In their second appearance of the day, SHU had things clicking on all cylinders against Manhattan despite playing without its two seniors.
In singles, Cordero, Guryanova, Rodriguez, Sher and Shoemaker all defeated their opponents in straight sets.
In her first individual match of the day, Portela came out on top in #2 singles play, getting past Hilary Valenzuela in a marathon 6-4, 6-7 (5), 11-9 affair.
The Pirates also swept the Jaspers in doubles competition, highlighted by an 8-0 victory by Cordero and Shoemaker over Caitlin Bricketto and Valenzuela in the #2 slot.
Up next for Seton Hall is a trip to Jersey City to take on the Peacocks of Saint Peter's on Friday, February 24. Start-time is scheduled for 4:00 p.m.
Seton Hall 3, Navy 4
Singles
1. Chloe Sher (SHU) def. Darien Sears (Navy), 6-3, 6-0
2. Emani Decquir (Navy) def. Elizabeth Verow (SHU), 6-4, 6-3
3. Stefanie Ton (Navy) def. Karina Cordero (SHU), 6-1, 6-1
4. Erin Snook (Navy) def. Madison Shoemaker (SHU), 7-5, 6-1
5. Maria Rodriguez (SHU) def. Gabriela Winter (Navy), 7-6 (3), 5-7, 6-4
6. Noelle Kaufmann (Navy) def. Anna Guryanova (SHU), 6-1, 4-6, 6-4
Doubles
1. Decquir/Ton (Navy) def. Rocio Portela/Sher (SHU), 8-4
2. Verow/Shoemaker (SHU) def. Kaufmann/Snook (Navy), 9-7
3. Cordero/Courtney Kilarski (SHU) def. Houle/Olsen (Navy), 8-5
Seton Hall 7, Manhattan 0
Singles
1. Chloe Sher (SHU) def. Lili Johnson (MC), 6-2, 6-0
2. Rocio Portela (SHU) def. Hilary Valenzuela (MC), 6-4, 6-7 (5), 11-9
3. Karina Cordero (SHU) def. Caitlin Bricketto (MC), 6-1, 6-0
4. Madison Shoemaker (SHU) def. Briana Turano (MC), 6-0, 6-2
5. Maria Rodriguez (SHU) def. Stephanie Tsao (MC), 6-1, 6-4
6. Anna Guryanova (SHU) def. Christina Ton (MC), 6-0, 6-2
Doubles
1. Portela/Sher (SHU) def. Johnson/Turano (MC), 8-1
2. Cordero/Shoemaker (SHU) def. Bricketto/Valenzuela (MC), 8-0
3. Guryanova/Rodriguez (SHU) def. Catherine Clark/Ton (MC), 8-2
