GILMAN AND FINN LIFT NO. 17 SAINTS TO

CRUCIAL 5-4 WIN OVER NO. 22 HERONS

April 27: The No. 17 St. Lawrence University women’s tennis team picked up a crucial 5-4 victory over No. 22 William Smith on Sunday in the 2008 Liberty League Third Place match in Geneva, NY. Sophomore Casey Gilman and first year student Stephanie Finn each won twice, helping the Saints earn a win that puts them in position to earn an NCAA Championship bid.

St. Lawrence (14-4) jumped out to a seemingly insurmountable 3-0 lead after the doubles portion of the match against the hosting Herons (11-7). Senior Kirsten Lannon and sophomore Chelsea Hubbell handed William Smith’s Chelsea Rauck and Shari Damon an 8-5 loss, while Gilman and Finn were simply too much for Amanda and Melissa Slack at No. 2 doubles, winning 8-0.

In what proved to be a crucial point, St. Lawrence’s co-captains Teresa Rodriguez and Liz Ronty were able to hold off Erinn Cain and Meredith Levenson at No. 3 doubles 8-5 for a solid 3-0 advantage.

The Herons, who lost a 7-2 contest to the Saints earlier this month, did not go away quietly in the singles portion of the match though. The home team picked up a straight set win at the No. 1 singles spot when Rauck beat Lannon 6-3, 6-1. They then added wins at each of the final three singles matches to pull to within one point of the victory, as Melissa Slack beat Hubbell at No. 4, 7-5, 6-3, Gaby Berkman rallied past Mackenzie Hall 5-7, 6-2, 6-2, and Cain defeated rookie Paige Cohen at No. 6 singles.

With the tables turned, the Saints needed wins from both Finn and Gilman at the No. 2 and 3 spots. Gilman would do her part, turning in a thorough 6-1, 6-1 win over Damon. After dropping the first set 6-4 to Amanda Slack, Finn would battle back to take the second set 7-5.

St. Lawrence was soon able to breathe a sigh of relief as Finn went on to beat Slack in the third set 6-2, improving to 14-0 at No. 2 doubles this season, and giving the Scarlet and Brown a critical 5-4 win.

No. 2 seeded Vassar College won the 2008 Liberty League Championship over Skidmore, 7-2, in the earlier match. The Brewers eliminated the Saints on Saturday with a 5-1 win.

The Liberty League Championship Tournament concludes the women’s tennis team’s 2008 regular season. The Saints must now wait to see if their efforts this season warrant a bid to the 2008 NCAA Championships.

SAINTS TO FACE WILLIAM SMITH IN 2008

LIBERTY LEAGUE THIRD PLACE MATCH

April 26: The No. 3 St. Lawrence University women’s tennis team earned a spot in the 2008 Liberty League Tournament Semifinals with a 7-2 victory over No. 6 Union. However, the Saints fell to No. 2 Vassar College 5-1, sending the Scarlet and Brown to the third place match where they will face off against No. 4 William Smith on Sunday at noon.

St. Lawrence defeated Union for the second time in a week by the same margin of 7-2. The Saints held a 2-1 lead after doubles play, as senior Kirsten Lannon and sophomore Chelsea Hubbell defeated Union’s Hallie Mabrey and Jess Meola 8-3 at the No. 1 spot, while sophomore Casey Gilman and rookie Stephanie Finn swept Lyndsey Wehrum and Libby Johnson 8-0.

The Dutchwomen scraped out a point with a tight 9-7 victory at No. 3 doubles as Kathleen Rucci and Roni Brumberger held off sophomore co-captains Teresa Rodriguez and Liz Ronty 9-7.

The Saints asserted themselves in singles play, though, winning five of the six matches. Lannon overmatched Mabrey at the No. 1 slot 6-1, 6-1, while Finn did the same to Rucci 6-4, 6-0. Gilman came from a set behind to knock off Brumberger at No. 3, 4-6, 7-6, 10-2, as did Hubbell at No. 5, rallying against Wehrum 4-6, 6-3, 10-6.

First year student Mackenzie Hall handled Johnson in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, at the No. 6 singles spot. The only point for Union in singles play came at No. 4, as Rodriguez was forced to default against Meola. Though Rodriguez’s inability to play in singles against Union was inconsequential in the 7-2 final, her absence was key in the semifinal match-up against Vassar College.

The team of Lannon and Hubbell again got St. Lawrence off on the right foot with an 8-2 win over Vassar’s Nicole Pontee and Jamison Steele at No. 1 doubles. However, Kelly Barnett and Courtney Burks won a key point for the Brewers against Finn and Gilman, 8-6, and Elizabeth Anderson and Alexis Jacobson put Vassar in front 2-1 with an 8-1 win over Ronty and new doubles partner Paige Cohen.

With Hubbell, Hall and Cohen having to play up a spot in singles due to Rodriguez’s absence, Vassar took advantage and went on to a 5-1 victory. Pontee logged a point for the Brewers against Lannon 6-4, 6-1 at the top-seed, while Burks disposed off Hall at No. 5, 6-0, 6-1. Jacobson recorded the fifth point for Vassar with a 6-4, 6-0 win against Hubbell at No. 4 singles.

Finn led Barnett at No. 2, 6-1, 4-1 while Gilman trailed Krista Romita 6-2, 3-3. Steele and Cohen finished only one game at No. 6 singles before the match came to a decision.

Vassar College will take on top-seeded Skidmore at 9:00am in the 2008 Liberty League Championship match, followed by the Saints and Herons at noon in the third place showdown.