UConn places second at New England Championships

After three weeks of problems with inclement weather, the UConn women’s tennis team finally had the opportunity to compete this weekend at the New England Championships, placing second overall.

The Huskies traveled to Providence College to compete in the New England Championships, and were nothing short of successful. Overall, the team was only bested by Providence in team competition. In the individual competition, freshman Srna Stoŝljević won the No. 2 singles, while senior Abby McKeon won the No. 5 singles. In the doubles competition, all three UConn tandems placed second, each falling to a duo from Providence.

In the singles flights, the Huskies excelled in their play. Sophomore Maxie Weinberg competed in the No.1 singles, advancing past Fairfield 6-1, 3-6, 10-7. Weinberg fell in the next round to Rhode Island, but ultimately placed third in the flight. Stoŝljević defeated Stony Brook 6-2, 6-3, Sacred Heart 7-6, (7-5), 6-2 and Providence 6-4, 6-3 in winning the No. 2 singles with an impressive showing.

“I think we excelled in our singles play this weekend,” said McKeon. “We were able to overcome some tough conditions with the weather.”
In the No. 3 singles, junior Jennifer Learmonth defeated Stony Brook 6-2, 6-4 before falling to Sacred Heart in the semifinals 7-6, (7-3), 6-3. Junior Lucy Nutting competed in the No. 4 singles, defeating Rhode Island in the opening match 2-6, 6-2, 10-5 but coming up short against Sacred Heart in the semifinal match 6-1, 3-6, 10-8. Nutting eventually placed third overall. In the No. 5 singles, McKeon made easy work of Hartford 6-2, 6-1; Sacred Heart 6-3, 6-4; and Providence 6-1, 6-2 on her path to victory in the flight. In the No. 6 singles, sophomore Lucy Nutting defeated Bryant 3-6, 6-2, 10-6 and Rhode Island 7-6, (7-5), 6-1 before falling to Providence.

In the three doubles flights, the Huskies saw some success, though they came up just short in all flights. In the No.1 doubles, McKeon and Learmonth defeated Rhode Island 8-5 and Sacred Heart 8-1 before falling to Providence, placing second overall. Weinberg and Nutting competed in the No. 2 doubles, defeating Hartford 8-0 and Sacred Heart 8-4 before falling to Providence and placing second overall. In the No. 3 doubles, junior Marie Gargiulo and sophomore Emilie Burgess defeated Sacred Heart 8-3 and Bryant 8-4 before losing to Providence and taking second overall.

“We played really well in doubles,” said McKeon. “But there’s always room to improve our volleys and net game.”
After their strong finish this weekend, the Huskies hope to carry their string of successes through their dual match against UMass on the UConn Tennis Courts this Wednesday.

“I think we played really well as a team,” said McKeon. “[We] had a lot of positives to pull out from this weekend.”