Recap courtesy of Berkeley College Athletics
The Berkeley College women's tennis team won for the second time in as many days, defeating the four-time defending Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference champions – the Pratt Institute Cannoneers – by a score of 9-0 in a conference match played Sunday at Pratt's ARC in Brooklyn, NY. With the victory, the Knights are now 3-1 on the 2015 season (2-0 in conference competition), while Pratt dipped to 1-7 on the year (1-1 HVIAC).
The Knights dominated this match, starting with doubles competition, where Berkeley captured all three flights in convincing fashion. At No. 1 doubles, the Knights' combination of Ceren Aksoy and Maria Avila defeated Pratt's Melanie Kania and Sude Rencber by a score of 8-1. The No. 2 doubles flight saw Kate Gorshunova and Susan Wong turn back the Cannoneers' team of Nicole Hetzel and Cailyn Culp 8-1, and finally, it was the Knights' Victoria Mikalsen-Sandstad and Alessandra Lippolis shutting out Pratt's pair of Yeh-Eun Heo and Jae'Lyn Vegerano 8-0 at No. 3 singles.
When plays switched over to singles, Berkeley College continued to stamp their claim as one of the better teams in the conference. At the No. 1 singles flight, Aksoy outlasted Kania in a hard-fought set, 6-2, 5-7, 10-7. No. 2 singles saw Avila beat Rencber, 6-1, 6-0. Gorshunova turned back Heo, 10-5 at No. 3 singles, and Mikalsen-Sandstad was victorious at No. 4 singles, defeating Hetzel 6-3, 6-2. At No. 5 singles, it was Lippolis downing Culp, 10-1, and finally at No. 6 singles, Wong silenced Vegerano, 8-1.
The Knights will return to action on Tuesday afternoon, as Berkeley College will take to the road to battle the College of New Rochelle. Start-time for that match is scheduled for 4:30pm.
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Recap courtesy of Pratt Athletics
BROOKLYN -- Pratt Institute fell 9-0 to visiting Berkeley College on Sunday in Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference women's tennis play, marking the Cannoneers first league loss in over five years.
Ceren Aksoy outlasted Pratt's Melanie Kania, 6-2, 5-7, 10-7, in top singles play. In second singles, Berkeley's Maria Avila knocked off Sude Rencber, 6-1, 6-0. Avila and Aksoy teamed to top Kania and Rencber 8-1 in No. 1 doubles.
The loss marks the first defeat in a league contest for the four-time defending champion Cannoneers since a 5-4 loss to Sarah Lawrence College on October 9, 2010.
Pratt returns to play on Friday at 6:00 p.m., playing host to Vaughn College in HVIAC play.
