Boasting a record just a hair underneath .500, the Quinnipiac women’s tennis team has enjoyed an early season surge, as they have won seven of their last 10 matches.
Running parallel with the Bobcats’ success during this solid stretch was senior standout Katherine Ehle’s movement towards her 100th career victory.
A first team All-Northeast Conference selection in both singles and doubles as a junior, Ehle reached the 100-win milestone with a No. 5 singles victory during the Lady Cats’ loss to the University of Massachusetts-Amherst on Friday, April 8. The Minutewomen downed the Lady ‘Cats by a 6-1 margin on the afternoon. A suspenseful three sets, 3-6, 6-2, 11-9, allowed Ehle, a Marshfield, Mass. product, to register her 100th career win.
UMass sophomore Michelle Speiss came into her own during the match, picking up a pivotal win at no. 1 singles and no. 2 doubles to lead the Minutewomen, who improved their record to 13-6 with the win.
In no. 1 singles, sophomore Gabby Pasternak, of Glen Rock, N.J., dropped a 6-2, 6-1 decision to Speiss, while junior Tina Hoang (Humble, Texas), a first team All-Northeast Conference selection in both singles and doubles last year, took a defeat at no. 2 singles, 6-1, 6-2. UMass’ Sasha Edelstein downed the Lady Cats’ Amanda Petruzzi (Bradenton, Fla.) by a 6-1, 6-2 margin at No. 3 singles.
Edelstein also downed QU’s Danielle Rodriguez (Auburn, N.Y.), 6-1, 6-0, during no.6 action. Prior to this, Liz Axler (Huntington, N.Y.) fell to the Minutewomen’s Dorothy Iwanowicz at the no.4 spot, 6-3, 6-3.
The doubles team of Rodriguez and Amy Sarrazin (Lewiston, Maine) collected a 9-8 win at no.3. But the Hoang/Pasternak combo fell at no. 1 doubles by a 8-5 margin, while the tandem of Axler/Ehle dropped at no.2, 8-2.
During a match where there were few bright spots for the Lady ‘Cats, Ehle’s 100th career victory highlighted the afternoon. The team will resume action on Tuesday in a home match against Wagner. The Lady ‘Cats delivered a 7-0 sweep of the Seahawks when the two program’s met back on April 1.
