Despite the loss, Jean Baak scored wins in singles and doubles on Saturday
The College of Staten Island women’s tennis team couldn’t score a win in its home and season-opener, falling to the visiting Golden Eagles of St. Joseph’s College (LI) by a 6-3 count in a non-conference match played at the CSI Tennis Center. SJC improved to 1-0 with the win while CSI fell to 0-1.
The Eagles got off to a good start by winning two out of three doubles sets. At the top spot, the team of Nancy Marroquin and Katie Soeder were able to out-do CSI’s Ilona Stoyko and Sabrina Bragerton-Nasert by a score of 8-3, while Maria Semertzides and Lindsey Merker scored a crisp 8-2 win at No. 3 Doubles. CSI’s lone highlight was in the middle position. There, sophomore Jean Baak teamed with freshman Mediha Mulla to score a hard-fought, 9-7, winner over Katelyn Dorsey and Cristina Valente.
The great play by Baak followed in singles, helping her score a 6-2, 6-0, win over Valente in the No. 3 position. Stoyko added another win for CSI at the No. 2 spot, defeating Soeder, 6-4, 6-2. The Eagles swept the other four flights to eventually win the match by a 6-3 score.
Despite the loss, Head Coach Paul Ricciardi was upbeat about the team’s performance. “It was a very hard fought loss for our team and definitely a game we can build on,” he said.
CSI will now be idle for one week before they take on William Paterson University next Saturday at the CSI Tennis Center at 12 Noon.
