HAMILTON, N.Y. (4/16/10) - The Colgate women’s tennis team downed Lehigh, 4-1, on Friday afternoon in the first quarterfinal match of the Patriot League women’s tennis tournament played at Colgate’s J.W. Abrahamson Memorial Courts. The fourth-seeded Raiders advance to the semi-finals where they will take on top-seeded Army, which received a bye through the first round of play.
“I was so proud of the ladies today,” stated head coach Bobby Pennington. “It was a hard fought battle and our senior captains Elise [DeRose] and Sam [Inacker] clinched it for us.”
Senior Jackie Stimmel (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) and freshman partner Merideth Rock (Kansas City, Mo.) defeated Lehigh’s Kiera Murasko-Blank and Abby Pearl, 8-2, at third doubles to earn the Raiders first win of the day. Senior duo of Elise DeRose (Williamsville, N.Y.) and Cameron Williams (Winnetka, Ill.) then downed Julie Arhofer and Liz Piscitelli, 8-2, claiming the No. 1 doubles win to give the Raiders the doubles point.
In singles action, sophomore Stephanie Brown (Mendham, N.J.) swept Murasko-Blank, 6-1, 6-3, at the fifth singles position to claim the Raiders second point of the day. The Mountain Hawks earned the next singles victory as Stacy Reich outlasted Williams, 6-4, 5-7, 6-4, at the No. 3 spot. The Raiders however, earned the next two wins claiming both first and second singles victories. DeRose defeated Arthofer, 6-4, 7-6, at the top spot and Inacker outlasted Piscitelli in three sets, 6-4, 5-7, 6-0.
The Raiders will face Army tomorrow, April 17, at 10 a.m. as the first of two semi-final matches. In the event of inclement weather, the tournament will be held indoors at the Sportsplex Tennis Courts at Turning Stone in Verona, N.Y. Following the Colgate/Army match will be the second semi-final match-up pitting No. 2 Bucknell against No. 3 Navy, slated to begin at 2 p.m.
Colgate 4, Lehigh 1
Doubles:
- Elise DeRose/Cameron Williams (C) def. Julie Arthofer/Liz Piscitelli (L), 8-2
- Samantha Inacker/Stephanie Bender (C) ahead Stacey Reich/Patricia Muething (L), 5-4 DNF
- Jackie Stimmel/Merideth Rock (C) def. Kiera Murasko-Blank/Abby Pearl, 8-2
Order of Finish: 3, 1, 2 DNF
Singles:
- Elise DeRose (C) def. Julie Arthofer (L), 6-4, 7-6
- Samantha Inacker (C) def. Liz Piscetelli (L), 6-4, 5-7, 6-0
- Stacy Reich (L) def. Cameron Williams (C), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
- Jackie Stimmel (C) ahead Patricia Muething (L), 6-2, 4-6, 2-0 DNF
- Stephanie Brown (C) def. Kiera Murasko-Blank (L), 6-1, 6-3
- Gena Levengood (L) ahead Merideth Rock (C), 7-5, 4-6, 4-3 DNF
Order of Finish: 5, 3, 1, 2, 4 & 6 DNF