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#46 STAC Women's Tennis Falls to #32 Wilmington, 5-2

#46 STAC Women's Tennis Falls to #32 Wilmington, 5-2
Posted: Mar 30, 2023

Wilmington, Del. - In a battle of nationally ranked teams, the #46 ITA-ranked St. Thomas Aquinas College Women's Tennis team dropped a 5-2 decision to #32 Wilmington University on Thursday afternoon at the Delcastle Tennis Center.

STAC falls to 13-3 overall, while Wilmington continues its perfect season at 16-0.

Wilmington took the doubles point on the strength of two out of three victories, as Carmelle Vial and Fenna Swaan downed Eliza Mulder and Elita Silins, 6-2, followed by Larize Nel and Ava Norberg's 6-4 win over Paula Palero and Amaia Balaguer Brau. The STAC team of Ebba Rosberg and Samanta Villegas Robles ended doubles play and avoided a shutout with a 6-3 victory against Neus Ramos Moreno and Jess Purdy, 6-3.
 
Once the teams turned to singles competition, Jess Purdy put the Wildcats up 2-0 on a 6-2, 6-2 triumph over Viktoriia Pavlovets. Ebba Rosberg got the Spartans on the scoreboard, earning a point for the maroon and gold with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Carmelle Vial to make it 2-1. Back-to-back wins by Marley Trifunovic (2-6, 6-4, 6-0) and Neus Ramos Moreno (7-6 (6), 6-3) over Vera Gak Anagrova and Samanta Villegas Robles respectively, sealed Wilmington's 16th straight W. Once the match was clinched, Larize Nel also defeated Elita Silins 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (2), with Amaia Balaguer Brau wrapping up the day for STAC with a 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-2 win over Maelle Fontanges.

 

WILMINGTON 5/STAC 2 - OFFICIAL RESULTS

DOUBLES
1. Ebba Rosberg & Samanta Villegas Robles (STAC) def. Neus Ramos Moreno & Jess Purdy (WILMU), 6-3
2. Carmelle Vial & Fenna Swaan (WILMU) def. Eliza Mulder & Elita Silins (STAC), 6-2
3. Larize Nel & Ava Norberg (WILMU) def. Paula Palero & Amaia Balaguer Brau (STAC), 6-4

Order of Finish: 2, 3*, 1
 
SINGLES
1. Ebba Rosberg (STAC) def. Carmelle Vial (WILMU) 6-1, 6-3
2. Jess Purdy (WILMU) def. Viktoriia Pavlovets (STAC) 6-2, 6-2
3. Neus Ramos Moreno (WILMU) def. Samanta Villegas Robles (STAC) 7-6 (6), 6-3
4. Amaia Balaguer Brau (STAC) def. Maelle Fontanges (WILMU) 6-0, 6-7 (3), 6-2
5. Larize Nel (WILMU) def. Elita Silins (STAC) 2-6, 6-1, 7-6 (2)
6. Marley Trifunovic (WILMU) def. Vera Gak Anagrova (STAC) 2-6, 6-4, 6-0

Order of Finish: 2, 1, 6, 3*, 5, 4 
 
#32 Wilmington Record: 16-0, 10-0 CACC
#46 STAC Record: 13-3, 5-0 ECC
 
 
THE ROCKHILL REPORT

"Unfortunately, we were out-competed today by Wilmington University", said Coach Dan Rockhill. "These are the types of matches we have been winning historically, but today it was not to be."

"We had trouble securing the key points at second and third doubles and that cost us the point. Ebba and Samy however, were excellent at the top of the lineup as they defeated the 38th ranked team in D2. It was great to see our best pair back healthy and playing so well."

"We started off well in the singles as we were able to take first sets on 4 of the 6 courts", stated Rockhill. "However, Wilmington competed hard and committed to putting a lot of balls in play. This put pressure on us and caused some uncharacteristic errors on our part."

"Playing shorthanded due to injury is never easy but we had enough to win today regardless. In fact, Ebba and Amaia were impressive, and both keep improving daily. Hopefully, we will learn from this experience and come back stronger as we prepare for the balance of the season and the NCAA tournament."

 

UP NEXT

STAC takes on Division I opponent St. Francis College - Brooklyn on Saturday, April 1 (10:00 a.m.) at the USTA National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y.