Boxscore
EASTON, Mass. – After claiming a 3-0 lead after doubles play, the fifth-seeded Goldey-Beacom College women's tennis team could not complete the upset victory over No. 4 seed and host, Stonehill College as the Lightning lost the top five singles matches and fell 5-3 in Sunday's NCAA Division II East Regional opener.
GBC, appearing in its second straight NCAA East Regional Tournament with an opportunity to avenge last year's opening round loss to the Skyhawks, looked to be in good position when the Lightning swept the doubles slate to take a 3-0 advantage early.
Sophomores Blanca Sancho and Vanessa Leon earned the first point of the match for GBC with an 8-4 defeat of junior Leah White and freshman Kaitlyn Martin at the second flight. Next, sophomore Anastasia Chibrikova and freshman Marie-Louise Klein defeated junior Amy Toegemann and sophomore Chelsea Haedrich, 8-6 at No. 3.
Playing for just the fourth time together, the Lightning's No. 1 duo of junior Marina Sales and freshman Gabriela Chaves came through for the third Lightning doubles point with a very exciting, 8-6 win over senior Lindsey Hercel and sophomore Paige Frost.
Against Division II competition this season, the Lightning were 33-16 as a team in doubles play this year.
But it was all Stonehill as the match moved into singles play, beginning with Herchel and White picking up two quick victories. White defeated Sales, 6-4, 6-0 at No. 3 for Stonehill's first point of the afternoon, and Herchel took down Sancho, 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1.
At the No. 4 spot, sophomore Melanie Bonomo battled for the Lightning but came up short, 6-4, 6-4 against Frost, which evened the score at 3-3.
The Skyhawks took their first lead of the day when Toegemann outlasted Klein, 6-4, 6-3 at second singles, and suddenly, Stonehill was one point away from victory.
Martin delivered the decisive victory with a three-set win in a battle of two freshmen at No. 5 singles. With both players seeing their first ever NCAA Tournament action, GBC freshman Laura Cure took the first set, 6-4, but Martin recovered to sweep the second set, 6-0 and sustained her momentum through the third set for a 6-2 triumph to cap the comeback.
The Lightning's season came to a close with this defeat as they finished the season with a mark of 12-6. Six of the ten players on head coach Joe Kissel's roster will be returning next season.
