BELMONT, Mass. – The Rams season opener did not go as planned as the Suffolk women's tennis team landed on the wrong side of a 6-3 decision to Wentworth Thursday night at the Belmont Hill School.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 3 | Wentworth 6
RECORDS: Suffolk (1-0) | Wentworth (1-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Sophomore co-captains Ilda Ascic and Kendall Smith put the first point on the board for the night as the Suffolk's top tandem downed Ali Sollecito and Morgan Collins, 8-4. The Lions leveled the playing field with a win in the second spot as Jordan Miller and Bianca Prescott fell to Sam McGibbon and Olivia DeLuca.
With the match even at 1-all and one doubles point remaining, a default by the blue-and-gold made it a lopsided, 2-1 Wentworth score.
A heated singles battle fromAlyssa Blade in the fifth position equalized the non-conference clash once again. The freshman needed a super tiebreaker to determine a win versus Hannah Erickson. The Ram dropped the first set, 7-6 (9-7), but rallied the next two, 6-1, 6-1, to seal the point in Suffolk's favor and tie the match at 2-2.
After Smith was bested by DeLuca in the second spot, 6-3, 6-2, the match evened once again thanks to Ascic's 6-3, 6-1 triumph over Sollecito on the first court.
See-saw points continued In the Lions' favor as McGibbon bested Miller, 7-5, 6-4, at No. 3 to set-up match point.
The back-and-forth in points ended there as Prescott fell to Collins, 8-4, in the fourth slot to seal the deal for Wentworth.
THE RESULTS
SINGLES
1 – Ilda Ascic (Suffolk) defeated Ali Sollecito (Wentworth), 6-3, 6-1
2 – Olivia DeLuca (Wentworth) defeated Kendall Smith (Suffolk), 6-3, 6-2
3 – Sam McGibbon (Wentworth) defeated Jordan Miller (Suffolk), 7-5, 6-4
4 – Morgan Collins (Wentworth) defeated Bianca Prescott (Suffolk), 8-4)
5 – Alyssa Blade (Suffolk) defeated Hannah Erickson (Wentworth), 6-7 (7-9), 6-1, 6-4
6 – CiCi Deakin (Wentworth), Won by Default
DOUBLES
1 – Ilda Ascic/Kendall Smith (Suffolk) defeated Ali Sollecito/Morgan Collins (Wentworth), 8-4
2 – Sam MCGibbon/Olivia DeLuca (Wentworth) defeated Jordan Miller/Bianca Prescott (Suffolk), 8-6
3 – CiCi Deakin/Hannah Erickson (Wentworth), Won by Default
Order of Finish: Singles (5, 2, 1, 3, 4, Def.) | Doubles (1, 2, Def.)
NOTEWORTHY
- Ascic tallied her first singles victory as the Rams' ace.
- Ascic and Smith teamed up for the first time in their collegiate careers and secured a win as a tandem.
- Blade recorded her first collegiate singles win.
- Blade and Prescott made their collegiate debuts.
COMING UP
Suffolk takes one day off before hosting Colby Sawyer in its 2019 GNAC debut Saturday, Sept. 7. First serve between the Rams and Chargers is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.