Senior Milena Matijevic was named the MAAC's Most Outstanding Player for the second-straight year.

FLUSHING, N.Y. – The Niagara University women’s tennis team’s (15-1) season came to a close late Sunday when it lost, 4-3, to Fairfield University in the finals of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship at the USTA National Tennis Center.

With the match tied at 3-3, junior Kendra Daigler (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda) lost a three-set match to Megan Stauffer, 3-6, 6-4, 6-2, at No. 5 to end the Purple Eagles’ 15-match winning streak.

Niagara trailed in the match, 1-0 after losing the doubles point to Fairfield for the second time this season. Junior Mariam Al-Shikarchy (Fonthill, Ont.) and sophomore Danielle Griener (Ft. Erie, Ont.) lost 8-6 at No. 1 to Taylor Barvoets and Diane Webb. At No. 2, senior Milena Matijevic (Niagara Falls, Ont.) and freshman Aditi Krishnan (Markham, Ont.) fell 8-6 to Erin Reeves and Andrea Suriano. The Purple Eagle freshman duo of Jacquelyn Cary (Selkirk, N.Y.) and Julianne Prokopich (Loretto, Ont.) fell to Megan Stauffer and Ann Mullowney, 8-6.

In singles, Niagara fell behind 2-0 when Al-Shikarchy had her 12-match winning streak snapped with a 6-3, 6-2 loss to Barvoets at No. 2. The Purple Eagles tied the match at 2-2 when Matijevic beat Webb, 6-0, 6-0 at No. 1 and Krishnan downed Reeves, 6-4, 6-3 at No. 4.

After a rain delay that lasted most of the afternoon, the two teams resumed the match indoors at 8 p.m.

Fairfield took a 3-2 lead when Suriano defeated Griener, 7-6, 1-6, 6-4 at No. 3. Cary tied the match again with a three-set match victory over Mullowney, 6-4, 3-6, 6-4, at No. 6, setting the stage for the Daigler match.

Matijevic was named the MAAC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year for the second-straight year. She finished the season with a 23-2 overall record and 14-1 dual mark.