Women's Tennis 5/8/2015 2:50:00 PM

Blue Jays drop NCAA First Round match to SUNY Geneseo

Results

AMHERST, Mass. – The Elizabethtown College women's tennis team saw its eight-match winning streak, and its season, come to an end in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament Friday. SUNY Geneseo swept doubles and quickly secured two necessary points in singles to close out the Blue Jays, 5-0.

Elizabethtown was out to flip last year's NCAA First Round result, a 5-1 loss, as the same two teams met in the first round of the national tournament for a second straight season. The Knights (15-3), champions of the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC), would not comply with those wishes.

With its No. 1 doubles team setting the tone, SUNY Geneseo collected all three points to put the Blue Jays in the unenviable spot of having to win 5-of-6 singles matches.

Marylen Santos and Minxuan Yuan went through their match against E-town's senior duo of Christine Evangelista and Kaitlyn Pellegrino at first doubles without dropping a game (8-0). The Knights also emerged with 8-4 victories by Cat Crummey/Amanda Rosati over the Jays' Lauren Berry/Taylor Helsel at No. 2, and Anika Pornpitaksuk/Mai Hashimoto against Madison McCall/Sam Procak at No. 3.

Evangelista could not slow Santos, who was equally on her singles game. The SUNY Geneseo junior went 6-0, 6-0 to put the Blue Jays on the brink of elimination.

Elizabethtown (16-4), making its sixth straight tournament appearance after earning the Landmark Conference's automatic berth, showed grit throughout its lineup while trying to extend the match.

No. 3 Berry won her first set over Rosati 6-4 and was tied 3-3 when play concluded with Crummey defeating Pellegrino 6-4, 6-0 at No. 2 for the clinching point.

Helsel came back from an early deficit at sixth singles to take the opening set from Yuan 7-5, while Sarah Calabro bounced back to tie Hashimoto 5-5 in an unfinished first set at fifth singles.

Both teams came into the tournament ranked regionally; SUNY Geneseo 15th in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Northeast Region and the Blue Jays 18th in the Atlantic South Region.

SUNY Geneseo moves on to Saturday's Second Round, where it will face host Amherst, the No. 7 team in the nation. Elizabethtown's 16 victories are tied for the third most in program history.

Friday's match was the final one as Blue Jays for seniors Calabro, Evangelista and Pellegrino.

Evangelista won 57 singles matches and 59 doubles matches for a combined victory total of 116. The Harrisburg native ranks third in career combined wins, tied for fourth in singles wins and sixth in doubles wins at the College. Pellegrino's 61 doubles victories are tied for fourth all-time, her 45 singles wins 10th and 106 combined wins tied for ninth. Calabro finished her career with 39 singles victories and another 10 in doubles play.

SUNY Geneseo 5, Elizabethtown 0
May 8, 2015 at Amherst, Mass. (Amherst Courts)

Singles competition

1. Marylen Santos (GEN) def. Christine Evangelista (ETWN-W) 6-0, 6-0

2. Cat Crummey (GEN) def. Kaitlyn Pellegrino (ETWN-W) 6-4, 6-0

3. Lauren Berry (ETWN-W) vs. Amanda Rosati (GEN) 6-4, 3-3, unfinished

4. Madison McCall (ETWN-W) vs. Dexuan Yuan (GEN) 1-6, 2-3, unfinished

5. Sarah Calabro (ETWN-W) vs. Mai Hashimoto (GEN) 5-5, unfinished

6. Taylor Helsel (ETWN-W) vs. Minxuan Yuan (GEN) 7-5, unfinished

Doubles competition

1. Marylen Santos/Minxuan Yuan (GEN) def. Christine Evangelista/Kaitlyn Pellegrino (ETWN-W) 8-0

2. Cat Crummey/Amanda Rosati (GEN) def. Lauren Berry/Taylor Helsel (ETWN-W) 8-4

3. Anika Pornpitaksuk/Mai Hashimoto (GEN) def. Madison McCall/Sam Procak (ETWN-W) 8-4

Match Notes

SUNY Geneseo 15-3; Regional ranking #15

Elizabethtown 16-4; Regional ranking #18

Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (1,2)

NCAA Division III Tournament First Round

Elizabethtown ranked 18th in the ITA Atlantic South Region

SUNY Geneseo ranked 15th in the ITA Northeast Region

SUNY Geneseo advances to face #7 Amherst in Second Round

T-2:22

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Players Mentioned

Lauren Berry: 5' 1"; Junior

Sarah Calabro: 5' 2"; Senior

Christine Evangelista: 5' 0"; Senior

Taylor Helsel: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Madison McCall: 5' 2"; Sophomore

Kaitlyn Pellegrino: 5' 7"; Senior

Sam Procak: 5' 3"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

Lauren Berry
: 5' 1"; Junior

Sarah Calabro
: 5' 2"; Senior

Christine Evangelista
: 5' 0"; Senior

Taylor Helsel
: 5' 4"; Sophomore

Madison McCall
: 5' 2"; Sophomore

Kaitlyn Pellegrino
: 5' 7"; Senior

Sam Procak
: 5' 3"; Freshman