WESTON, Mass. – Worcester State University's Rachel Green (Worcester, Mass.) and Alexis Silk (Greenfield, Mass.) scored points at both singles and doubles for the Blue and Gold to assist the Lancers with a 7-2 win over Wentworth in their season opener Friday afternoon.
THE BASICS
September 1, 2017
Regis Courts
Score: Worcester State 7, Wentworth 2
Records: Worcester State (1-0), Wentworth (0-1)
THE MATCH
The Lancers' No. 3 doubles tandem of sophomore Isabel Badeau (Cumberland, R.I.) and Green took an 8-2 victory over sophomore Jasmine Andrade (Dorchester, Mass.) and senior Mackenzie Jones (Granville, Mass.). Worcester State upped its lead to 2-0 when the No. 2 doubles team of sophomore Lauren Taylor (Attleboro, Mass.) and Silk defeated senior Sam Webb (Duxbury, Mass.) and junior Veronica Monteiro (North Andover, Mass.). Wentworth closed the gap to 2-1 after doubles play when freshman Ali Sollecito (Taunton, Mass.) and junior Ellen Butts (Brookfield, Mass.) teamed up at No. 1 doubles to defeat junior Nathalie Khafaga (Auburn, Mass.) and freshman Dominique Alves (Ludlow, Mass.), 8-5.
Sollecito trimmed the lead to 3-2 as she earned her first collegiate victory, 6-0, 6-0, over Taylor at No. 1. Silk made it 4-2 with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Butts at No. 3 before Alves clinched the match with a 6-0, 6-0 triumph over Andrade at No. 4. Green defeated sophomore Sam McGibbon (Pembroke, Mass.), 6-2, 6-1, at No. 5 while Khafaga battled back to win a three-set match over Webb at No. 2 (2-6, 6-4, 10-4). Freshman Monika Mularski (Auburn, Mass.) defeated Monteiro, 7-6 (7-3), 6-2, at No. 6.
COACHES CORNER
"Despite our first doubles team battling and falling short against a strong opponent, our second and third doubles cruised through their matches, putting the ball away up at net and playing consistent tennis," commented head coach Courteney Blais. "The depth in our singles lineup was the highlight of our win. Both Nathalie and Monika were down in their first set and dug deep, walking away with a win. Alexis, Dominique, and Rachel played their games and came out on top."
UP NEXT
Worcester State returns to the courts next week, when they travel to Becker for a 3:30 p.m. matchup on Wednesday (Sep. 6). The Lancers open at home the following date when they host MCLA in a 4 p.m. match to be played at Wachusett Regional High School.
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Portions of this Release Courtesy of Wentworth Sports Information