The College of Staten Island Women’s Tennis team will be the third fall sport at CSI to get underway, and they will do so with a home contest against the Kean University Cougars at the CSI Tennis Center at 4:30 pm.  The Dolphins have high hopes for the season under new Head Coach Malcolm Rasheed and Kean is also opening their season, trying to improve a 10-win campaign in 2018-19.

CSI vs. KEAN UNIVERSITY
Matchup: College of Staten Island (0-0) vs. Kean University (0-0)
Where: CSI Tennis Center – 2800 Victory Boulevard, Staten Island, NY
All-Time Series:  Kean leads, 9-4
Last Meeting:  October 16, 2018 – Kean won 7-2
Players to Watch (CSI): The Dolphins are returning a series of players from last season that are hoping to build on healthy campaigns.  Mariah DeGuia led the way for CSI last year with five wins in Singles, sporting a 5-6 record overall, and 3-2 mark in her natural No. 4 position.  Senior Hannah Bruschi finished 2-0 at the No. 3 position and keep be an added force this season, while fellow senior Tristiana Adragna scored three wins all at the top of the lineup.  
Players to Watch (KU): Jada Mack is hoping for another big year as she finished with a  robust 13-6 Singles mark last year, a majority of which was in the heart of the order.  Nicole Nin, Jan Bayanin and Jessica Kobilas all won 10 matches in Singles and all stand to have bigger seasons as their experience levels improved from last year.
News & Notes:  The Cougars have owned the series overall, winning nine of the 13 all-time meetings, but CSI has had some successes over Kean, winning four of the last six contests.  Today’s match will be the first played on Staten Island since the 2013 season, when CSI took a 6-2 win at the CSI Tennis Center.  The last four meetings since have been played at Kean, when the Cougars took the most recent match, 7-2.  Prior to that, CSI had won two-in-a-row in the series, winning most recently in 2017, 6-3.  Kean finished 10-9 last season overall and are predicted to finish 5th in the New Jersey Athletic Conference’s Preseason Coaches Poll.
What’s Next?:  The Dolphins will go right back to work after today’s match and will travel to face their first NCAA Division II opponent of the season in powerful Queens College at 1pm tomorrow, September 7.  The same holds tru for Kean.  They will face off against conference-rivals The College of New Jersey tomorrow at home at 2pm.