Danielle Greiner won her three-set match Saturday to help Niagara beat Colgate. |
NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – The Niagara University women’s tennis team (7-0) posted its biggest victory in school history Saturday night when the Purple Eagles defeated Colgate University (4-4), 4-3, in the Charles H. Sanford Fieldhouse on the Colgate University campus.
The Raiders entered the match as the preseason No. 2 team in the Patriot League and had beaten Syracuse, 4-3, Jan. 28.
Sophomore Danielle Greiner clinched the win for Niagara in a three-set match. With the team score tied at 3-3, Greiner won the first set, 7-6 with the tiebreaker going to 7-3. Jamie Maldow won the second set, 6-4, but Greiner took the third 6-4. Greiner remains the only undefeated Purple Eagle with a 3-0 record.
Niagara began the match by winning the doubles point for the seventh time this season. Junior Mariam Al-Shikarchy and Greiner won their seventh match of the season and sixth dual match with an 8-6 win over Sheila Rao and Emily Wenink at No. 1 doubles. At No. 2 doubles, senior Milena Matijevic and freshman Aditi Krishnan beat Chloe Lipp and Marissa Alikpala, 8-4, and posted their fift dual win and sixth overall victory of the season. Niagara freshmen Jacquelyn Cary and Julianne Prokopich lost at No. 3 doubles for the second time this season when they fell to Maldow and Becca Smalley.
Leading 1-0 after doubles, Al-Shikarchy put Niagara up 2-0 when she beat Jackie Couture, 6-3, 6-2 at No. 2. Matijevic gave the Purple Eagles a 3-0 lead with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Alikpala at No. 1.
Colgate rallied, sweeping the bottom three singles positions. Krishnan lost her first dual match of the season when she lost to Lipp, 7-5, 6-4 at No. 4. At No. 5, Kendra Daigler lost to Rao, 6-1, 6-2. Cary fell to Allison Stoloff, 6-2, 6-1 at No. 6 and the stage was then set for Greiner’s three-set victory.
The Purple Eagles return to action Feb. 27 when they host Cleveland State at 6 p.m. at the Sportsplex.
Niagara at Colgate
Feb. 21, 2004 - Hamilton, N.Y.
Team Score - Niagara 4, Colgate 3
Niagara Team Record: 7-0. Colgate Team Record: 4-4
Singles
1. Milena Matijevic (NU) def. Marissa Alikpala (COL) - 6-2, 6-4
2. Mariam Al-Shikarchy (NU) def. Jackie Couture (COL) - 6-3, 6-2
3. Danielle Greiner (NU) def. Jamie Maldow (COL) - 7-6 (7-3), 4-6, 6-4
4. Chloe Lipp (COL) def. Aditi Krishnan (NU) - 7-5, 6-4
5. Sheila Rao (COL) def. Kendra Daigler (NU) - 6-1, 6-2
6. Allison Stoloff (COL) def. Jacquelyn Cary (NU) - 6-2, 6-1
Doubles
1. Al-Shikarchy/Greiner (NU) def. Rao/Emily Wenink (COL) - 8-6
2. Matijevic/Krishnan (NU) def. Lipp/Alikpala (COL) - 8-4
3. Maldow/Becca Smalley (COL) def. Prokopich/Cary (NU) - 8-4
