BOSTON, Mass.—UMass Boston women's tennis earned their first 9-0 conference sweep since the 2016 season Tuesday afternoon, when they blanked the University of Southern Maine 9-0 at the B.C. High Tennis Courts.
THE BASICS
UMass Boston 9, University of Southern Maine 0
(UMass Boston 7-1, Little East 2-1)
(Southern Maine 1-4, Little East 0-3)
HOW IT HAPPENED
UMass Boston not only earned their first conference sweep in nearly three years, but also set the program record for longest winning streak in a single-season (five matches).
Seven different Beacons earned wins in the match, including each of the top five players in the UMass Boston lineup posting a 2-0 day.
Amy Drame (Milwaukee, Wisc.) and Katie Gauthier (West Boylston, Mass.) opened the match with a dominant 8-1 win at number one doubles.
The Beacons pushed their lead to two at third doubles, as Chloe Gates (Plymouth, Mass.) and Evangelia Vassiliadis (Weymouth, Mass.) cruised to an 8-2 victory.
In the final doubles match to finish, UMass Boston's Valeria Tueme (Bonney Lake, Wash.) and Shelby Parent (Cambridge, Minn.) teamed up for an 8-3 win at second doubles.
Tueme pushed the lead to 4-0 to start singles, as she easily knocked off Ciara Richards 6-1, 6-3 at fifth singles.
Meaghan Moriarty (Norton, Mass.) clinched the match win at fourth singles. The sophomore defeated Gabby Brooks 6-2, 6-3 to push the lead to 5-0.
Drame earned her fourth-straight singles win at number one singles, when she downed Samantha Harden 6-2, 6-2.
Gauthier gave the Beacons a 7-0 lead overall, when she handed Emma Nassif a 6-3, 6-1 defeat.
In the closest match of the day, Vassiliadis defeated Regina Harmon 6-2, 7-5 at third singles.
With the match already decided and the sun beginning to set, Gates played Eden Martin in an eight-game pro set at sixth singles. Gates completed the sweep with an 8-2 victory.
BY THE NUMBERS
- The last time the Beacons swept a conference opponent was on September 27, 2016, when they defeated the University of Southern Maine 9-0. UMass Boston hasn't swept a team other than the Huskies since 2013, when they blanked Western Connecticut State University.
- With her two wins on Tuesday, Gauthier moved into a tie for fourth in program history in career wins (46) and singles victories (22).
- UMass Boston has won five matches in a row in a single-season for the first time in program history. The record for longest overall winning streak is six matches, dating from the end of the 2000 season to the beginning of the 2001 campaign.
- During their five-match winning streak, UMass Boston has earned two sweeps and won 38 of a possible 45 points.
WHO'S NEXT
UMass Boston will look to move into a tie for second-place in program history for wins in a single-season (eight), when they host Worcester State University on Saturday at 1 p.m.
