NORTH EASTON, Mass. - In a match-up of two women's tennis squads with perfect Northeast-10 Conference records, regionally-ranked Saint Michael's College blanked Merrimack College, 9-0, on Friday at the Brown Billone Club. The Purple Knights, who stand eighth in the latest Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Region rankings, improved to 6-2 overall and 5-0 in the NE-10, while the Warriors are 2-4 and 2-1.
A pair of doubles tandems won by 8-3 scores for Saint Michael's, with seniors Emily Magee (Queensbury, N.Y./Queensbury) and Jean-Marie McGrath (Niwot, Colo./Alexander Dawson School) combining at No. 1, and senior Alex Dalton (South Easton, Mass./Oliver Ames) and sophomore Caroline Martin (Scituate, Mass./Scituate) siding at No. 2. In the third spot, first-years Erica Bundrick (Mattituck, N.Y./Mattituck) and Alexandra Sulkin (Ipswich, Mass./Ipswich) put together an 8-5 victory.
Four Purple Knights won in straight sets during singles action. Bundrick notched a 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 2, Dalton triumphed by a 6-1, 6-0 count at three, sophomore
Hannah Benoit (Mystic, Conn./Saint Bernard School) earned a 6-4, 6-4 win at No. 4, and Martin recorded a 6-0, 6-3 victory in the sixth spot. Magee rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7-0), 10-3 win in the top position, while Sulkin topped her foe by a 6-1, 4-6, 10-6 margin at No. 5.
Saint Michael's breaks until next Thursday, when it heads to league heavyweight Southern New Hampshire University for a 3:30 p.m. match. The Penmen, who are seventh in the ITA's East Region poll, have won the last three NE-10 Championships and participated in the most recent four NCAA Tournaments.
