By Kyle Anderson Staff Writer
The men's and women's tennis teams finished their seasons last weekend as both were defeated in the MAAC tournament at the USTA Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. The men were swept in the first round by Fairfield on Friday, 7-0, while the women fell to Marist 6-1 in the conference semifinals Saturday after dominating St. Peter's 7-0 in Friday's first round. The women entered the tournament as the No. 5 seed, while the men competed as the No. 6 seed.
With the loss to Marist, the women finished their season with a record of 11-8, securing their 18th consecutive top-four finish in the MAAC.
The women scored their only point against Marist at No. 6 singles, when sophomore Lauren Cassle defeated her opponent 7-6 (7-3), 6-1. The victory marked an undefeated season for Cassle in MAAC play.
Falling in straight sets were sophomores Caitlyn Day and Kerri Swan at No. 1 and No. 2 singles, respectfully. Freshman Joy Johnson dropped a competitive two-set match at No. 3, while sophomore Stephanie Dunn fell at No. 4. Senior Meaghan McKenna played her final college match as she was defeated in a tough 6-4, 6-3 match at No. 5.
On the doubles side, Swan and Johnson were defeated 8-3 at No. 1, and the sophomore tandem of Day and Dunn lost 8-2 at No. 2. Cassle and freshman Andie Keyser-Baker rounded out doubles play with a loss at No. 3. After losing a tough match to Marist, Dunn believes things can only improve next season: "We had already lost to Marist 6-1 this year, but this time everyone's matches were much closer," Dunn said. "We lost a lot of close matches this year, and we should only return stronger next season."
Prior to the Marist match, the women dominated the No. 4 seed, St. Peter's. The Hounds swept the doubles point as Swan and Johnson pounded their opponents 8-1 at No. 1. Day and Dunn also won 8-1 at No. 2, while Cassle and Keyser-Baker rounded out the doubles point with an 8-4 victory at No. 3.
The theme continued in singles play as Day started the team off with a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 1. Swan, Johnson and Dunn all won in straight sets at No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4, respectfully. McKenna narrowly beat her opponent 7-6, 4-7, 6-3 at No. 5, while Cassle finished out the day with a 7-5, 4-6, 6-3 victory at No. 6.
The men were unable to get past Fairfield in the first round, as the Hounds were dealt a 7-0 loss. The men finished their season 9-9, marking the second straight .500 or better season for the program.
In singles play, senior co-captains Scott Gannon and Ben Epstein finished out their college careers by falling at No. 1 and No. 2. Sophomore Matt McDaniel dropped his match at No. 3 6-2, 6-0, while sophomore Tim Koch fell 6-1, 6-3 at No. 4. Senior Doug Alban forced a tie-breaker in his first set, but ended up losing at No. 5 in two sets. Freshman Dan D'Agostino finished out the singles play with a loss at No. 6.
The Hounds did not fare much better in doubles as they dropped every match. Gannon and Alban were defeated 8-2 at No. 1, while McDaniel and Koch teamed up for an 8-4 defeat at No. 2. D'Agostino and freshman Jamie Russo rounded out the day with an 8-3 loss at No. 3.
Despite the early exit in the MAAC tournament, McDaniel remains satisfied with the team's season.
"I don't think the scores adequately reflected how well our team played," McDaniel said. "This season the team came together, had a good record, and won tough matches."
Earlier in the week, the women squared off against Towson in a non-league match and defeated the Tigers 4-3. The Hounds scored all their points in singles as Swan, Dunn, Cassle and Keyser-Baker won at No. 2, No. 4, No. 5 and No. 6.
The nine wins posted by the men, along with the women's 11 wins, give coach Richard McClure a combined 557 career wins.
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