Seton Hall University
East Carolina
Players Mentioned
Tennis Clipped By East Carolina; 4-3
3/11/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
March 11, 2014
HUMACAO, PUERTO RICO - The Seton Hall tennis team opened its spring break trip to Puerto Rico on Tuesday, dropping a hard-fought 4-3 decision to East Carolina in the first of three matches in as many days.
The Hall (6-5) conceded the doubles point to the opposing gang of Pirates but could not close out East Carolina (9-6) despite claiming three of the first four singles matches to be decided in the first outdoor match the squad has played this spring.
Seniors Rocio Portela (Demetrio Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) and Chloe Sher (Tin Shui Wai, Hong Kong) started the day with their second-straight doubles victory - their fifth of the spring overall - dominating the East Carolina pair of Dana Gray and Maria Storozheva, 8-2, at #1.
With the doubles point within reach however, ECU prevailed at #2 and then the team of Anna Guryanova (Moscow, Russia) and Julia Keenan (Greenland, N.H.) came up just short in the third position, falling in a tiebreak to Melis Tanik and Betsy Zurawel.
Seton Hall rallied however, claiming three of the first four singles matches that reached completion.
Sher evened the score with her fourth consecutive win at #1, easing past Michelle Castro, 6-2 in the first set before the East Carolina freshman retired.
Zurawel downed Julie Martiny (Brussels, Belgium) in the sixth slot to move ECU back in front but a pair of sophomores in Keenan and Hannah Liljekvist (Djursholm, Sweden) rattled off wins bring The Hall to within one point of victory.
Keenan outlasted Storozheva, 6-4, in the first set before taking control in the second (6-1) to prevail at #4. The New Hampshire product has now won four-straight singles matches and is tied for the team lead with 16 combined victories in 2013-14.
Against Tanik, the ECU captain and wins leader, Liljekvist triumphed, 6-4, 6-2 to give Seton Hall a 3-2 lead in the match. Playing exclusively in the top two positions, Liljekvist is now tied for third on the squad with five wins during the dual match season.
East Carolina would eventual secure the team result however, scoring at the #3 and #5 spots. Portela rebounded from a 2-6 loss in the first set to take the second from Emily Groeneveld, 6-3, at the third position. Groeneveld eventually claimed the third set, 6-3, and ECU sealed the win by virtue of a Dana Gray victory over Madison Shoemaker (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia) at #5.
Seton Hall will return to action tomorrow, March 12 when the Pirates take on Bryant. Start-time is set for Noon.
Seton Hall 3, East Carolina 4
Doubles
#1. Portela/Sher (Seton Hall) def. Gray/Storozheva (ECU), 8-2
#2. Castro/Groeneveld (ECU) def. Liljekvist/Shoemaker (Seton Hall), 8-5
#3. Tanik/Zurawel (ECU) def. Anna Guryanova/Keenan (Seton Hall), 8-7 (7-1)
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 3
Singles
#1. Chloe Sher (Seton Hall) def. Michelle Castro (ECU), 6-2, retired
#2. Hannah Liljekvist (Seton Hall) def. Melis Tanik (ECU), 6-4, 6-2
#3. Emily Groeneveld (ECU) def. Rocio Portela (Seton Hall), 6-2, 3-6, 6-3
#4. Julia Keenan (Seton Hall) def. Maria Storozheva (ECU), 6-4, 6-1
#5. Dana Gray (ECU) def. Madison Shoemaker (Seton Hall), 7-5, 6-2
#6. Betsy Zurawel (ECU) def. Julie Martiny (Seton Hall), 6-2, 6-0
Order of Finish: 1, 6, 4, 2, 3, 5
