Pirates Host Fairfield in Non-League Action Sunday

South Orange, N.J. – The Seton Hall women's tennis team welcomes Fairfield to Ivy Hill Park Sunday at 12 p.m. for the final non-conference match of the season.

The Pirates (6-6) are coming off a 5-2 setback to defending BIG EAST Champion Xavier last Sunday at CenterCourt Sports Morristown. Sophomore Anna Fajnorova (Bratislava, Slovakia) and freshman Melody Taal (Ede, Netherlands) collected singles wins, but the Pirates could not keep pace with a deep and talented Musketeer contingent.

Freshman Anniek Jansen (Naarden, Nethlerlands) was named to her first career weekly BIG EAST Honor Roll on Wednesday after her performance in a 4-3 win over visiting LIU Brooklyn on March 24. She secured the doubles point for the Pirates following a 6-3 triumph at the No. 3 spot, then recorded the match-clinching point with a 4-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 6 singles.

For the Stags (3-11), they are looking to rebound from a 4-3 loss at Wagner on Wednesday. They are led by Sarah Stuhlmann, who is 4-9 when competing at No. 1 singles this season. She will also likely compete at the top doubles flight alongside Emily Lombardi.

The Hall is led by junior Luize Strike (Riga, Latvia) and Fajnorova, but has seen a valuable balance and strong depth throughout the season. Everyone on the team has shown the ability to contribute and it has been an important reason why the team is filled with optimism looking ahead.

In singles play, all Pirates have five or more individual victories including a team-best 13 from junior Katie Kim (Honolulu, Hawaii). Fajnorova is second on the team with 12 wins and is 7-1 during dual match season.

Sunday marks the final non-conference match of the 2016-17 slate for the Pirates, and the team has three more BIG EAST matches before heading to South Carolina for the conference tournament on April 27. The Pirates are excited, focused, and feel like they have hit their stride over the past couple of months.

"We want to show everyone how competitive we are, that it's a new team, new program, and we're here to make our presence known," said freshman Krista Cerpina (Riga, Latvia).