Pictured Above: Sophomore Fidan Khalilzade (Credit: Dave Saffran)
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West Long Branch, NJ – The Wagner College women's tennis earned its first win under first-year head coach,
Alex Petrone, on Tuesday afternoon, defeating the Monmouth University Hawks, 7-0, in West Long Branch, NJ.
It was the dual match opener for the Seahawks while the Hawks fall to 2-2 on the season. The victory marked Wagner's ninth-consecutive victory over Monmouth, with the Seahawks' last setback coming back on April 1, 2014 (5-2 decision).
"The girls started out strong by securing the doubles point and continued with that momentum throughout singles action," commented Petrone. "We were able to get the win over a really competitive team like Monmouth and I am proud of our team's performance."
Wagner took two of three doubles matches in securing the first point of the overall match. Captains
Vedika Anand and
Rina Baynes earned a 6-2 triumph over the pairing of Nicole Gasser/Maria Ivanova at No. 1.
The freshmen duo of
Samantha Lugtu and
Emma Reeves posted their first dual doubles match victory at No. 2 play, besting Alexandra Graff and Caroline Mattise, 6-1. Monmouth's Chinonye Gabriel and Sydney Denardo edged out newcomers
Diana Pinzariu and Alegre d'Alessandro, 6-4, in No. 3 action.
The Green & White took all six singles matches. Sophomore
Fidan Khalilzade earned a gritty 7-6 (7-2), 5-7, 10-5 decision over Graff at No. 1. Anand followed suit with a three-set victory over Gasser at No. 2. The junior picked up a 6-3 win in the first set before dropping a 6-4 decision in the second, setting up a deciding third set in which the 2018 All-Northeast Conference (NEC) Second Team honoree was able to post a 10-7 winner.
Lugtu bested Gabriel at No. 3, 6-1, 6-3 while Baynes was a 6-1, 6-1 victor over Rachel Rosenthal at No. 4. Pinzariu and d'Alessandro finished the match with a pair of wins in completing the shutout.
"Through the first two weeks of the season, I feel like our returners (Vedika, Rina, Fidan and
Melanie Post) have set a terrific example for our four newcomers on what it takes to compete on the collegiate level, day-in and day-out," coach Petrone mentioned. "It's through their leadership that I believe our freshmen have transitioned quickly to college tennis. With continued hard-work in practices, this team has a chance to accomplish many things."
Wagner will have a quick turnaround as they will host Big West Conference members, the UC Irvine Anteaters, on Friday, October 5 with the match slated to begin at 9:00 a.m. at the Wagner Tennis Courts.
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