WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The No. 2 seed Purple Eagles cruised to a 4-0 victory over third-seeded Fairfield in the 2015 MAAC Women's Tennis Tournament semifinals on Saturday at the Mercer County Park.
The Purple Eagles (11-7) will bring a six-match winning streak into their sixth appearance in the championship match since 2002 and first since 2009. Niagara will face No. 1 seed Quinnipiac on Sunday at 10 a.m. The Bobcats edged the Purple Eagles, 4-3, on March 28.
Niagara started the match by dominating in doubles. The No. 2 duo of
Brooke Briseno and
Stella Peisakhova, which earned All-MAAC Second Team recognition, was the first team to win its match with an 8-3 score over Sarah Stuhlmann and Nicole Aragones to extend the pair winning streak to six matches. NU clinched the doubles point when the team of
Maria Ortiz and
Paulina Velasquez defeated Allison Radde and Helen Abbot, 8-2, at No. 1 doubles.
The Purple Eagles won the three necessary singles matches in quick fashion. Ortiz, an All-MAAC Second Team member at five singles, topped Kaila Nelson in straight sets 6-3, 6-0 to put Niagara up 2-0. A pair of All-MAAC First teamers picked up wins to seal the match. Briseno, an All-MAAC First Team selection at six singles, won her team-best ninth straight match with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Karen McKeough. Doubles partner Peisakhova, who was named to the All-MAAC First Team at four singles, breezed to a 6-0, 6-1 win over Helen Abbot.
NU has now won three straight over Fairfield (7-8) for its longest win streak in the series since winning four straight from 2005-08.
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Niagara University 4, Fairfield 0 Singles competition 1. Celan, Iva (NIAW) vs. Radde, Allison (FFDW) 4-6, 1-1, unfinished
2. Ta, Ashley (NIAW) vs. Stuhlmann, Sarah (FFDW) 6-2, 1-0, unfinished
3. Velasquez, Paulina (NIAW) vs. Aragones, Nicole (FFDW) 5-6, unfinished
4. Peisakhova, Stella (NIAW) def. Abbot, Helen (FFDW) 6-0, 6-1
5. Ortiz, Maria (NIAW) def. Nelson, Kaila (FFDW) 6-3, 6-0
6. Briseno, Brooke (NIAW) def. McKeough, Karen (FFDW) 6-1, 6-1
Doubles competition 1. Ortiz, Maria/Velasquez, Paulina (NIAW) def. Radde, Allison/Abbot, Helen (FFDW) 8-2
2. Briseno, Brooke/Peisakhova, Stella (NIAW) def. Stuhlmann, Sarah/Aragones, Nicole (FFDW) 8-3
3. Celan, Iva/Ta, Ashley (NIAW) vs. McKeough, Karen/Zimmer, Meghan (FFDW) 5-6, unfinished
Order of finish: Doubles (2,1); Singles (5,6,4)
