BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Bridgewater State University women's tennis team posted a 6-3 victory over visiting Suffolk University on Thursday afternoon at the Rosen Memorial Tennis Courts.
The host Bears improve to 1-2 on the season as they picked up their first win of the 2018 campaign. The visiting Rams fall to 1-3 with the setback.
Bridgewater State captured two of the three doubles matches and four of the six singles flights to come away with the non-conference triumph.
BSU junior Emma Mills (Westport, Mass.) and senior Rachel Tarantino (Mansfield, Mass.) battled to a tough 9-7 decision at first doubles, while the Bears' third flight combination of sophomore Olivia Sweeney (Taunton, Mass.) and freshman Vanessa Rosa (Taunton, Mass.) recorded an 8-4 victory.
Senior Elena Cisneros Garcia (Barcelona, Spain) and freshman Kendall Smith (Stuttgart, Germany) teamed up for an 8-4 triumph at the second flight for the Rams' lone doubles point.
The Bears received a 6-0, 6-1 straight set win from Rosa at number six singles to extend the advantage to 3-1. Rosa's victories in doubles and singles play marked the first of her collegiate career.
Senior Meagan French (Newton, N.H.) earned a 6-3, 7-5 straight set win at fifth singles to cut the Rams' deficit to 3-2.
BSU junior Angelique Gray (Osterville, Mass.) won in straight sets at number four, 6-4, 6-3, to make it a 4-2 match. Sweeney then recorded the decisive fifth point as she battled back from a set down to post a 2-6, 6-3, 6-3 victory at the second flight.
Tarantino rounded out the scoring for Bridgewater with a 6-2, 1-6, 6-0 decision at third singles, while Suffolk senior Delaney Dunlap (Hingham, Mass.) posted a 6-4, 6-3 straight set win in the battle of the top flight singles players.
The Bears open Little East Conference (LEC) play on Saturday afternoon as they travel to Worcester State University for a noontime match with the Lancers. The Rams entertain Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) rival Albertus Magnus College on Friday afternoon at four.