BOSTON, Mass.—Despite a 2-0 day from freshman Kelsey Shea (West Bridgewater, Mass.), UMass Boston women's tennis (1-2) couldn't hold off Colby-Sawyer College Tuesday afternoon as the Chargers (1-1) earned a 7-2 victory at the B.C. High Tennis Courts.
The reigning North Eastern Athletic Conference Champions jumped out to a 2-1 lead after doubles action, before rolling to a 7-2 win to spoil the Beacons' home opener.
Shea and sophomore Logan Smith (Southwick, Mass.) provided the lone bright spots for the Beacons who have now lost back-to-back matches. Shea earned her team-leading third and fourth victories of the season, while Smith picked up her first collegiate victory in her first collegiate match, as the pair teamed up for a win at third flight doubles.
Colby-Sawyer opened up the match with a dominant 8-1 victory at number two doubles, as Oxana Tkachenko and Charlotte Horton knocked off Solveig Castelli (Precojo, France) and Vicky Woytowicz (Springfield, Mass.). The Chargers extended their lead to 2-0, when their top pair of Elizabeth Lincoln and Ashlyn Ramsay outlasted UMass Boston seniors Anitra Kloczewiak (Newton, Mass.) and Samantha Counts (Bridgewater, Mass.).
Shea and Smith cut the deficit to 2-1, when the pair earned a hard-fought 8-3 decision over Ellen Graham and Conley Dion at third flight doubles.
The Chargers continued their hard push towards victory in singles action, as Tkachenko knocked off Nurcin Celebi (Istanbul, Turkey) 6-0, 6-0 at number four singles. Horton put Colby-Sawyer within a point of victory minutes later, when she finished off Counts with a 6-0, 6-1 decision at number three singles.
Colby-Sawyer secured the victory when Lincoln finished off Nuha Muntasser (Braintree, Mass.) 6-0, 6-1. UMass Boston nearly picked up a point at number two singles, as Kloczewiak and Ramsay battled back-and-forth in the most even contest of the match. In the end, Ramsay outlasted Kloczewiak 7-6 (7-4), 6-4 to push the Chargers' lead to 6-1.
Shea earned the Beacons' second point of the day at number six singles, as she easily dispatched Dion 6-0, 6-1, but Graham earned the last point of the day for Colby-Sawyer with a 6-2, 6-2 victory at fifth-flight singles over Castelli.
Colby-Sawyer will be off until next Wednesday when they play their home opener against Plymouth State University at 4 p.m. UMass Boston will enjoy an extended break as well, as the Beacons will travel to Johnson & Wales University (R.I.) next Thursday for a 3:30 p.m. match.
