NIAGARA UNIV., N.Y. – The Niagara women's tennis team defeated Little 3 rival St. Bonaventure, 4-3, in its regular-season finale on Monday.
 
The Purple Eagles needed wins in No. 3 and 4 singles to pull out their second straight win in the series and third straight overall. Niagara improves to 13-7 on the season and has won at least 13 matches in consecutive seasons for the first since the 2003-04 and 2004-05 seasons.
 
NU took the doubles point when the No. 2 duo of Iva Celan and Maria Ortiz won 8-4; Niagara won in No. 3 doubles by default. In singles, Niagara won in the sixth spot by default, but fell in one, two and five singles.
 
Ortiz won in straight sets, 6-3, 6-4, in No. 4 singles for her 18th win of the season and eighth straight. Freshman Paulina Velasquez rallied from a set down to win 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in No. 3 singles to clinch the match for the Purple Eagles. Velasquez, who has won 12 straight matches, has 21 wins on the season which are the most since Niagara Hall of Famer Milena Matijevic's 23 wins during the 2003-04 season.
 
Niagara will now head to the MAAC Tournament in West Windsor, N.J. where it will face Fairfield on Saturday, April 26.
 
Niagara University 4, St. Bonaventure 3
  Singles competition
1. Brossard, Marisa (SBUW) def. Ta, Ashley (NIAW) 6-2, 6-3
2. Amiri, Fatya (SBUW) def. Hellstern, Sarah (NIAW) 6-2, 6-3
3. Velasquez, Paulina (NIAW) def. Martinez-Santori, M. (SBUW) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
4. Ortiz, Maria (NIAW) def. Skhirtladze, Mariam (SBUW) 6-3, 6-4
5. Cole, Taylor (SBUW) def. Celan, Iva (NIAW) 6-1, 3-6, 6-2
6. McCune, Jenna (NIAW) def. No player (SBUW), by default
 
 Doubles competition
1. Brossard, Marisa/Martinez-Santori, M. (SBUW) def. Hellstern, Sarah/Velasquez, Paulina (NIAW) 8-3
2. Celan, Iva/Ortiz, Maria (NIAW) def. Amiri, Fatya/Skhirtladze, Mariam (SBUW) 8-4
3. Ta, Ashley/McCune, Jenna (NIAW) def. No player/No player (SBUW), by default