Box Score STEUBENVILLE - The Franciscan University women's tennis team refused to surrender a single match as they aced their first match of the year 9-0 against Marietta.
Setting the pace for the remainder of the evening, the Lady Barons dominated all of three doubles matches, taking two of them 8-0. Teammates Madelyn Conrad and Grace Hammel worked together to bring the second match from a 3-4 deficit to a solid 8-5 victory.
The following singles play showcased a variety of victories across the board. Maria Binette soared to a 6-0, 6-0 win at No. 2 singles, while Emmy Mathias swept No. 6 singles 6-1, 6-0.
However, the most riveting moment of the night came from Hammel's spectacular close victory at No 3 singles. In a match characterized by endurance and persistence, Hammel rallied from a loss in the first set to win the second and climb from 4-9 in the tiebreaker match to win it 17-15, facing no less than seven match points along the way.
"This is what we call freshmen overcoming early nerves to rise to the occasion," said senior captain Claire Haddad, commenting on both Hammel's win and that of Conrad at No. 1 singles, 6-4, 6-0.
Closing out Franciscan's winning night were Claire Haddad at No. 4 singles, maintaining her 6-0 lead in the first set to take the second 6-2, and Erin Coyne, who took the tiebreaker 10-5 after split sets at No. 5 singles.
The Lady Barons return to the court on September 10 when they face D'Youville at 9am and Medaille at 2pm as they open Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference action in Buffalo, NY.
