St. John's University Athletics
St. John's University
Connecticut
St. John's Rallies To Defeat Connecticut, 4-3
4/6/2012 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
STORRS, Conn. - Playing its fourth of a six-match conference stretch, the St. John's women's tennis team rallied from a 1-0 deficit after doubles play to defeat league rival Connecticut, 4-3, on Thursday afternoon in Storrs, Conn. With the win, the Red Storm secured its spot in the 12-team BIG EAST Conference Championship in late April.
St. John's improves to 5-10 overall and 4-2 in conference action, while UConn drops to 7-9 overall and 0-4 in league play.
The Huskies took the early 1-0 lead by taking the No. 2 and No. 3 doubles position 8-3 and 8-1, respectively. The Red Storm's top duo of Diamond Adams and Nevena Selakovic recorded an 8-7 (4) win at the No. 1 slot.
In singles play, senior Ece Firat leveled the match at 1-1 with a straight-set 6-1, 6-1 win at No. 5 singles. It was Firat's sixth-consecutive win in singles play. UConn went back up one with a straight-set victory at No. 6 singles and extended its lead to 3-1 with a win at the No. 2 position.
It was all St. John's from then on out as the Red Storm recorded straight-set victories at the No. 1, No. 3 and No. 4 positions. Selakovic notched her sixth-straight win to cut the deficit to 3-2 with a 6-2, 6-2 decision at the top slot, and senior Joanna Zwirbulis rallied from a 5-2 deficit in the second set to win her match 6-3, 7-6 (3) and level the score at 3-3.
With just one match remaining, senior Nakita Austin also found herself down late in the match, as UConn's Lucy Nutting led 5-4 in the second set. Austin rallied to defeat Nutting 7-5, 7-5 at No. 4 singles to clinch the 4-3 win for the Red Storm.
The Red and White will remain in Storrs, Conn., for an 11 a.m. match against DePaul on Friday, April 6.
To track the St. John's women's tennis squad throughout the season, follow the team on Twitter (@STJ_Tennis) and use the #stjtennis hashtag throughout the conversation.
St. John's 4, Connecticut 3
Singles competition
1. Nevena Selakovic (STJ) def. Jennifer Learmonth (UCONN) 6-2, 6-2
2. Alexa Gregory (UCONN) def. Diamond Adams (STJ) 6-1, 6-2
3. Joanna Zwirbulis (STJ) def. Maxene Weinberg (UCONN) 6-3, 7-6 (7-3)
4. Nakita Austin (STJ) def. Lucy Nutting (UCONN) 7-5, 7-5
5. Ece Firat (STJ) def. Abby McKeon (UCONN) 6-1, 6-1
6. Lauren Wilmarth (UCONN) def. Terri Thomas (STJ) 6-3, 6-0
Doubles competition
1. Diamond Adams / Nevena Selakovic (STJ) def. Jennifer Learmonth / Maxene Weinberg (UCONN) 8-7 (7-4)
2. Lucy Nutting / Alexa Gregory (UCONN) def. Joanna Zwirbulis / Ece Firat (STJ) 8-3
3. Abby McKeon / Marie Gargiulo (UCONN) def. Terri Thomas / Nakita Austin (STJ) 8-1
Match Notes:
St. John's 5-10, 4-2 BIG EAST
Connecticut 7-9, 0-4 BIG EAST
Order of finish: Doubles (13,2); Singles (5,6,2,1,3,4)
Players Mentioned
