EASTON, Mass. - Senior leadership shined through for the 28th-ranked Queens College women's tennis team Tuesday afternoon, as upperclass standout Taylor Barber (Salt Lake City, Utah) used identical 6-2 scores in the No. 6 singles flight to top Camilla Xavier, lifting the top-seeded Knights to a 5-4 victory over 35th-ranked and fourth-seeded Concordia College in NCAA Division II Championships East Region Second Round action.
Queens (18-1) will next play May 16 at 8 a.m. in Louisville, Ky., in its third-consecutive Round of 16. Head coach Alan Nagel's Knights will play the winner of South Region Bracket No. 2, which is slated to conclude play Wednesday (May 2).
QC was down 2-1 after doubles play, with the tandem of Barber and junior Daniela Celi (Casselberry, Fla.) picking up an 8-6 decision in the No. 3 flight versus the Clippers' (11-2) Maria Ortiz and Xavier.
Freshman Francesca Fanchin (New York, N.Y.) and sophomore Anna Rodionova (Orenburg, Russia) picked up straight-set singles victories out of the gate, pushing Queens in front by a 3-2 decision. Fanchin wrapped up her No. 3 flight match-up against Clara Catanzano by identical 6-2 scores, while Rodionova used a 6-3, 6-2 decision to topple Ana S.O. Mendes at No. 2. Celi later grabbed a 6-4, 6-4 edge at No. 5 singles versus Ortiz to push the Knights back in front by one (4-3), before everything came down to Barber's match to send QC to Louisville.
Provided by the Queens Sports Information Department.
