Women’s Tennis Falls to Division I Army

WEST POINT – The Vassar College women’s tennis team played its second match in as many days on Sunday morning, falling to Division I for Army University at West Point 7-0 in action from the Lichtenstein Tennis Center.

In singles play, the Brewers had some solid performances despite not picking up any matches, including sending No. 6 singles to a super-tiebreaker. In the No. 6 singles slot, junior Dash Ivenitsky continued to play well, showcasing a powerful serve and net game, which pressured Army’s Stella Fedele. Fedele would take the first set 7-6, winning the tie-breaker 7-2, but Ivenitsky rallied to tie the match with a 6-4 second set victory. In the super, Fidele would outlast the junior to avoid the upset.

At No. 1 singles, junior Kate Christensen led 3-2 in the opening set, but Army’s Yuka Lin started to take control to earn a 6-4 first set win. In the second, Christensen trailed 4-0 by battled back to make it 5-4. In the end though, Lin won the final three games to take a 6-4, 7-5 victory.

Senior Shayna Becker dropped her No. 2 singles match 6-1, 6-4, but made some solid adjustments in the second set to play well, and sophomore Morgane Flournoy was outlasted by Sera Martorelli 7-5, 6-3. Flournoy and her opponent stayed even through most of the match, as she won many points at the net and displayed poise throughout the match.

The No. 5 position saw senior co-captain Connie Yoo fall to Steph Johnson 6-1, 6-1. Yoo’s consistent style of play forced her Army opponent to play long and longer points. She did a great job of not allowing her opponent to utilize her effective drop shot after the first few games. Freshman Tara Edwards dropped her No. 3 singles match to Ari Spirtos 6-1, 6-0.

In doubles, the two teams played the Division I format of earning just one team point for the team that wins the majority of the matches. Army would earn the seventh and final point, as Lin and Funaro topped Becker and Edwards 6-0 at No. 1 doubles. The second flight saw Spirtos and Johnson defeat Christensen and Flournoy 6-0, while Ivenitsky and Yoo played well before falling 6-2 at No. 3 doubles.

“I am proud of our efforts and competitiveness in today’s match,” said head coach Kathy Campbell. “We showed that we believe in ourselves through our fight and court presence.

We battled and forced Army beat us. The singles’ scores more accurately reflect our determined play. Our strong fitness level was important in this match.  We can really utilize “the test” from this match to keep continued improvement moving forward.”

Vassar (3-1) returns home on Saturday to take on Liberty League foe Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute at 2 p.m. in the first conference match of the spring season.