FLUSHING, N.Y. - Saint Michael's College women's tennis junior
Lucy McPherson (Vancouver, British Columbia/Magee Secondary School) and sophomore
Olivia Larsen (Riverview, New Brunswick/Riverview) both picked up two wins on the opening day of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) East Regional Championship on Friday. The tournament, which features singles and doubles draws, is taking place at the United States Tennis Association (USTA) Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open grand slam event since 1978.
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SAINT MICHAEL'S LEADERS
- McPherson, 2 wins
- Larsen, 2 wins
TOURNAMENT FACTS
- The Purple Knights had seven players entered in the 75-slot singles draw while three doubles tandems were placed among 34 spots in that bracket.
- Saint Michael's women's tennis players competed at the ITA East Regional Championship for the fifth time.
- Since her team returned to the tournament in 2024, McPherson became the first Purple Knight to earn a seed in singles, claiming the 23rd seed.
THE ACTION
- Larsen was among three Purple Knights who opened singles play in the round of 128, where she earned a 6-1, 4-6, 10-8 victory over a Franklin Pierce University foe. She later lost in the round of 64 against the No. 22 seed, Saint Thomas Aquinas College's regular No. 1 player, 6-4, 6-1.
- Also in the round of 128, junior Katie Rocha (Stratham, N.H./Exeter) lost against a Chestnut Hill College player who entered the tournament with a 12-2 mark out of the Griffins' No. 5 and 6 spots, while first-year Julia Stein (Hamburg, Germany/Gelehrtenschule des Johanneums) fell against Saint Thomas Aquinas' regular No. 2 player.
- As the No. 23 seed, McPherson opened play in the round of 64 by taking down a Queens College opponent, 7-5, 6-4. She will face the No. 15 seed from Adelphi University on Saturday in the round of 32.
- Elsewhere in the round of 64, senior Emma Gredenhag (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) lost 6-2, 6-2 against the 29th seed from Chestnut Hill, who entered the weekend 10-4 out of her team's No. 3 and 4 spots. Junior Kasey Johnson (Naples, Maine/Lake Region) lost to the No. 11 seed from Southern New Hampshire University, and sophomore Ana Maria Ricaurte (Guayaquil, Ecuador/Colegio Alemán Humboldt de Guayaquil) fell against the No. 26 seed from Chestnut Hill, who was 9-5 out of the Griffins' No. 1 spot.
- During doubles, Rocha and Stein lost in the round of 64 just 8-5 against Saint Anselm College's regular No. 1 tandem.
- In the round of 32, Gredenhag and Ricaurte lost an 8-5 decision to the No. 11 seed, Saint Thomas Aquinas' regular No. 1 duo. Larsen and McPherson eased to an 8-1 win over the No. 7 seed, Assumption University's regular No. 2 pairing, which entered the tournament 3-0 this season, including 2-0 against Division I foes. The Purple Knight partners advanced to Saturday's round of 16, where they will take on the No. 9 seed from Chestnut Hill.
NEXT EVENT
- Larsen (doubles) and McPherson (singles and doubles) continue play at the ITA East Regional Championship on Saturday.
