Flushing, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Tennis team advanced to the East Coast Conference Tournament Final with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Daemen University in the semifinal round on Friday afternoon at the Queens College Tennis Center.
Top-seeded STAC improves to 9-0 on the year, while Daemen closes its 2022 fall campaign at 3-7.
STAC opened things up with a dominant performance in doubles play, taking two matchups to secure the team doubles point. The duo of Paula Palero and Eliza Mulder took a 6-2 victory at the No. 3 slot over Mackenzie Schayes and Ailish McDevitt, followed by the pair of Jemima Parkinson and Elita Silins winning 6-1 against Yinett Del Leon and Carly Armitage at the No. 2 position.
Once the Spartans secured the doubles point, there was no turning back. St. Thomas Aquinas jumped right into singles play, taking the first three matches from the Wildcats to secure the win and advance to Saturday's championship. Elita Silins started the victory spree in the No. 5 slot, taking a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Mackenzie Schayes. Amaia Balaguer Brau followed the trend by taking a 6-0, 6-0 triumph in the No. 4 slot against Carly Armitage to give the Spartans a commanding 3-0 lead and put Daemen on the ropes, facing elimination. Ayesha Burnett delivered the final knockout blow in the No. 6 position, cruising to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Ailish McDevitt to end the postseason contest.
