April 21, 2011

Final Stats | Photo Gallery

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Marist women's tennis team defeated top-seeded Fairfield, 4-3, to win the 2011 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) championship on Thursday at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center. The Red Foxes, seeded second in the championship, will now advance to their third NCAA Tournament.

With the contest tied at three apiece, the decisive match was played at fourth singles between Marist freshman Marielle Campbell (Patterson, N.Y.) and Fairfield's Nikki Jackson. Campbell dropped the first set, 7-5, but came back to win the final two sets by scores of 6-2, 6-3. Campbell was named the championship's Most Outstanding Performer.

The Red Foxes got off to the early lead by taking the doubles point. Sophomore Kelsey Raynor (Patterson, N.Y.) and junior Erin McCarthy (Salem, N.J.) teamed up for an 8-6 win at first doubles, and seniors Jeannie Lukin (Kinderhook, N.Y.) and Retta Byron (Scottsdale, Ariz.) triumphed 8-5 at third doubles.

Marist sophomore Joana Sun (Gales Ferry, Conn.) earned a 6-0, 6-4 win at third singles, but straight-set victories by the Stags' Sharissa Ryan and Caroline Emhardt at second and fifth singles, respectively, tied the match at two apiece. The remaining three matches all went to a third and deciding set. Byron prevailed at sixth singles, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2, but Fairfield's Monica Yajima won 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 7-5 at first singles, leaving the match tied at three apiece. Campbell's win then gave Marist the championship.

Marist has now won the MAAC championship in 2007, 2008 and 2011. The Red Foxes are now 13-7 on the season.

Marist College 4, Fairfield University 3
Singles competition
1. Yajima, Monica (FFDW) def. Raynor, Kelsey (MARW) 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 7-5
2. Ryan, Sharissa (FFDW) def. McCarthy, Erin (MARW) 7-5, 6-4
3. Sun, Joana (MARW) def. Liu, Kristen (FFDW) 6-0, 6-4
4. Campbell, Marielle (MARW) def. Jackson, Nikki (FFDW) 5-7, 6-2, 6-3
5. Emhardt, Caroline (FFDW) def. Lukin, Jeannie (MARW) 6-1, 6-4
6. Byron, Retta (MARW) def. Ruiz, Alyssa (FFDW) 4-6, 6-2, 6-2
Doubles competition
1. Raynor, Kelsey/McCarthy, Erin (MARW) def. Yajima, Monica/Emhardt, Caroline (FFDW) 8-6
2. Ryan, Sharissa/Liu, Kristen (FFDW) vs. Campbell, Marielle/Sun, Joana (MARW) 5-5, unfinished
3. Lukin, Jeannie/Byron, Retta (MARW) def. Ruiz, Alyssa/Pirrello, Victoria (FFDW) 8-5