By: Laura Chapman
Assistant Sports Information Director
chapmal@juniata.edu • juniatasports.net
HILTON HEAD ISLAND, S.C. – On the first day outside since the end of the fall season nearly six months ago, the Juniata College men's and women's tennis teams took down Westminster College in dual matches with the men earning the 9-0 clean-sweep and the women battling to a 6-3 win.
"After a long winter of practicing indoors, this was a great start to our season," said head coach Jason Cohen. "The men came out and took care of business and were very effective. The women played a great match and beat a tough team. We won three of the four matches to play a third set breaker, the girls came up big when it mattered most and that's honestly something you don't expect to always happen the first match of the season. I feel like the women definitely saw their hard work this winter pay off today and I expect this will give us a lot of confidence moving forward."
The women opened singles play trading wins with Westminster with sophomore Jacklyn Renninger (Manheim, Pa./Manheim Central) and freshman Rachel Yurchisin (Cleveland, OH/Padua) Franciscan) winning at the six and two positions, respectively, and sophomore Mitsuki Koh (Cupertino, Calif./Monta Vista) and junior Heather Waring (San Antonio, Texas/John Jay) falling in tight contests at the four and one positions, respectively.
Senior Megan Phillips (Jefferson Hills, Pa./Thomas Jefferson) came after dropping the first set and finding herself in a 4-1 hole in the second set earn in the win at the number three position and minutes later sophomore Tori Gray (York, Pa./Central York) rebounded after dropping the first set to take the three set win in fifth position.
Yurchisin and Renninger won the number three doubles to clinch the match for Juniata. The team finished 6-2 with Koh and Gray winning number two doubles. The Juniata victory snapped a 15-match win-streak for Westminster, which claimed the Presidents Athletic Conference (PAC) championship last fall after going 9-0 in league matches.
On the men's side, it business as usual for Juniata as the team only dropped five games through singles play and only two in doubles action. Freshman Dean Polisena (Adelaide, Australia/Saint Ignatius) and sophomore Logan Moore (Chadds Ford, Pa./Unionville) topped the number one doubles position 8-1 and the pair of senior Justin Wisniewski (Moorestown, N.J./Moorestown) and sophomore Bryan Gregory (Glen Mills, Pa./Garnet Valley) did not surrender a game, in either doubles or singles, winning 8-0 at the number two position.
The final pair of senior Elliott Perow (Huntingdon, Pa./Huntingdon Area) and sophomore Mike Lifshitz (Worcester, Mass./Worcester Academy) rounded out the day with the 8-1 in the number three doubles position.
The women will face Richard Stockton College tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. with both teams facing Nazareth College at 8 a.m. Tues. March 11.
Women's Results
Singles
1. Caitie Hosler (WEST) def. Heather Waring (JUNW) 6-2, 3-6, 10-4
2. Rachael Yurchisin (JUNW) def. Mariah Turiano (WEST) 6-2, 2-6, 10-6
3. Megan Phillips (JUNW) def. Sydney Sterner (WEST) 4-6, 7-5, 10-8
4. Heather Santa (WEST) def. Mitsuki Koh (JUNW) 6-0, 6-3
5. Tori Gray (JUNW) def. Lauren Fling (WEST) 4-6, 6-2, 10-3
6. Jacklyn Renninger (JUNW) def. ChristijanaVucenovic (WEST) 6-2, 6-0
Doubles
1. Caitie Hosler/Mariah Turiano (WEST) def. Heather Waring/Megan Phillips (JUNW) 8-5
2. Mitsuki Koh/Tori Gray (JUNW) def. Heather Santa/Lauren Fling (WEST) 8-4
3. Rachael Yurchisin/Jacklyn Renninger (JUNW) def. Sydney Sterner/Maria Pallone (WEST) 8-5
Men's Results
Singles
1. Dean Polisena (JUNM) def. Troy Abbott (WEST) 6-0, retired
2. Elliott Perow (JUNM) def. Mike Matisi (WEST) 6-2, 6-2
3. Justin Wisniewski (JUNM) def. Ryan Carr (WEST) 6-0, 6-0
4. Bryan Gregory (JUNM) def. Mark Andino (WEST) 6-0, 6-0
5. Logan Moore (JUNM) def. Ethan McCarthy (WEST) 6-1, 6-0
6. Michael Lifshitz (JUNM) def. Mark Zalakar (WEST) 6-0, 6-0
Doubles
1. Dean Polisena/Logan Moore (JUNM) def. Troy Abbott/Mike Matisi (WEST) 8-1
2. Justin Wisniewski/Bryan Gregory (JUNM) def. Ryan Carr/Ethan McCarthy (WEST) 8-0
3. Elliott Perow/Michael Lifshitz (JUNM) def. Mark Andino/Mark Zalakar (WEST) 8-1
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