HUMACAO, Puerto Rico--In the first-ever meeting between Augustana College (S.D.) and UMass Boston tennis, the Vikings earned a pair of sweeps over the Beacons men's and women's tennis teams on Wednesday at the Palmas Athletic Club.
The Vikings women's team (14-2) won 24 of 25 doubles games to easily earn a 9-0 win over UMass Boston (3-12). On the men's side, Augustana (6-6) earned four 6-0, 6-0 singles wins to knock off the Beacons' men's team (1-5) 9-0.
Women's Match: Augustana 9, UMass Boston 0
The four-time defending Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference Tournament Champion Vikings had little trouble with UMass Boston in the Beacons' third of four matches in Puerto Rico.
UMass Boston mustered just one game in doubles and just three total games in singles, in their most lopsided loss of the season.
Sophomore Kelsey Shea (West Bridgewater, Mass.) and Martin Daelli (Florence, Italy) paired up at number two doubles and earned the Beacons' lone game victory, in an 8-1 loss to Heather Sullivan and Jenna Helleberg.
In singles action, Daelli, Kathleen Conroy (Quincy, Mass.) and Stephanie McKenna (Amherst, N.H.) each picked up a single game in their matches.
Men's Match: Augustana 9, UMass Boston 0
After struggling to keep up with Augustana in doubles action, UMass Boston couldn't keep up with the Vikings in singles play, after they lost captain Charles Lai (Boston, Mass.) to a stomach illness. With their number one singles player unavailable, every player in the Beacons' lineup was forced to play up a spot and the Beacons couldn't take a point from their South Dakotan opponents.
Freshman Austin DeLasse (Shrewsbury, Mass.) and Lai played the closest of the three doubles matches, as the two fell 8-2 at number one doubles.
DeLasse was also the most competitive in singles action, as the freshman fell 6-2, 6-3 to Jared Hofer in DeLasse's first career match at number one singles. Junior Greg Fleming (Harwich Port, Mass.) was the only other Beacon to win a game in singles, as the junior fell 6-1, 6-1 at number two singles.
