MIDDLEBURY, Conn. – A strong singles effort helped push Western Connecticut State past UMass Dartmouth in Little East Conference women's tennis action on Saturday afternoon at the Middlebury Racquet Club. The Wolves move to 7-4 overall and 4-2 in conference play, while the Corsairs slip to 5-6 and are now 2-4 in the LEC.
The Corsairs dominated doubles action as senior captains IsaBella Winter and Ailey Riddick defeated Bodhi Kitt and Melanie Grasso by an 8-1 margin. At two, rookie Maddie Gonzalez and sophomore Bailey Clarke recorded an 8-1 victory against Aylina Razeq and Natalie Paradise.
Rounding out the doubles action was senior Caroline Lemieux and sophomore Zuri Walters, who notched an 8-3 score against Sarah Cipriano and Sophie Charbonneau from three.
UMass Dartmouth carried the 3-0 lead into the doubles, but WestConn stormed back as Charbonneau bested Clarke, 6-2, 6-1 from five. Three saw Cipriano with a 6-3, 6-1 win against Walters, while Paradise evened the match score from six with a 6-2, 6-3 win over UMass Dartmouth rookie Cristina Avila.
From one, Kitt was a 7-6, 6-0 winner over Winter, handing the senior captain her first singles loss of the season, while from four, Razeq sealed the match win with a tough 6-2, 3-6, 7-6 victory over Riddick. The Corsairs lone point in singles play came at two, as Gonzalez powered her way to a 6-4, 7-6 win over Melanie Grasso.
The Corsairs are back in action on Tuesday, heading to LEC-rival Salem State for a 3:30pm match.
