MANCHESTER, Conn. – The Hartford women's tennis team earned a hard-fought victory over Nichols on Wednesday, October 21, winning the doubles point and securing four singles victories to complete a 4-3 team win. Sophomore Maddie Pearlman (New Hampton, N.Y.) delivered the decisive point for the Hawks, rallying in three sets to clinch the victory and help Hartford avenge its previous 7-0 loss to the Bison last season.
Rapid Recap:
- The Hawks entered Wednesday's matchup looking to bounce back against Nichols after suffering a 7-0 defeat the last time the two programs met. Hartford responded with a strong performance at home, taking two of three doubles matches before battling through a competitive singles round to secure the team victory. Hartford opened doubles play with a convincing performance at No. 2 doubles, where Pearlman and freshman Isabelle Simino (Franklin, Mass.) delivered a dominant 6-0 shutout victory over Nichols' Julia Beaulieu and Erin Helly. The Hawks continued their strong start as graduate student Lora Acquario (East Nassau, N.Y.) and junior Natalie Lamb (Glastonbury, Conn.) teamed up for a 6-2 win over Kaitlyn Tingle and Sarah Maher. Nichols claimed a win of their own in doubles, with Gianna Musumeci and Pamela Gonzalez Vallardi defeating graduate student Lia Gosselin (South Bend, Ind.) and junior Victalia Z. Deida (New Haven, Conn.), 6-3. Hartford's two doubles victories gave the Hawks an important early advantage heading into singles play.
- Nichols responded in the opening singles match, as Gonzalez Vallardi defeated Gosselin, 6-1, 6-1, to even the team score. Pearlman then faced Helly in a tightly contested matchup at No. 2 singles. Pearlman claimed the opening set, 6-3, before Helly answered with a 6-4 second-set victory to force a decisive third set. With the match hanging in the balance, Pearlman regrouped and secured a 6-4 win in the final set, earning a crucial point for Hartford and ultimately clinching the team victory for the Hawks.
- Nichols answered back when Musumeci rallied past Simino after dropping the opening set, winning 3-6, 6-4, 6-3. Hartford regained momentum as Deida turned in a dominant performance against Tingle, earning a 6-0, 6-2 straight-set victory. Lamb followed with another convincing win defeating Beaulieu, 6-1, 6-0, to give the Hawks another important point. The final singles contest proved to be another battle, as Acquario faced Maher. Acquario took the opening set, 6-4, before Maher responded with a 6-4 second-set victory. Acquario ultimately prevailed in the deciding set, 7-5, adding another point for Hartford and helping the Hawks complete the 5-2 victory over Nichols.
Post Match Press:
"The biggest factor that carried me through to win the third set was how energetic, loud, and supportive my team was," says Pearlman. "Whether they were on the court playing their own matches or cheering from the sidelines, we all lifted each other up and built confidence. The mental game is definitely the hardest part of tennis, but with a team like this behind you, you never have to face it alone."
Up Next:
The Hawks will travel to Curry College on Saturday, October 24th for their final regular season match up. First serve is scheduled for 12:00 PM.
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