Rutgers Earns 4-3 Victory over Syracuse
Mar 30 | Women's Tennis
The Scarlet Knights jumped out to a one-point lead in the match, winning two of three doubles matches. At No. 1 doubles it was senior co-captain Carissa Sommerlad (Bradley Beach, NJ) and sophomore Andrea Weckstein (Holmdel, NJ) picking up the hard-fought victory with a 9-8 decision over Masha Kabanova and Shervin Saedinia. Senior co-captain Jennifer Hellier (Annapolis, MD) and freshman Ketevan Shmakova (Dover, NJ) won their team-leading eighth victory of the season at the No. 2 position, 8-5, to secure the doubles point. Syracuse won at No. 3 doubles with Trine Juliussen and Wei-Ming Leong notching the victory over freshmen Alina Balasa (East Brunswick, NJ) and Jill Markowitz (Forest Hills, NY), 8-5.
A loss at No. 1 singles by Weckstein tied the match at one point apiece. Rutgers and Syracuse then split the next two matches at No. 2 and No. 3 singles to continue the see-saw battle. Sommerlad fell to Kabanova at the No. 2 position, 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3, while Hellier won at the No. 3 spot against Saedinia, 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3). Balasa notched her team-high ninth victory of the season at No. 4 singles, downing Juliussen, 6-3, 6-1, to put the Scarlet Knights up by a point (3-2) heading into the final two matches. Markowitz sealed the win for Rutgers with a win at No. 6 singles over Jessica Schlosser, 6-3, 7-5. With the match already decided, Shmakova lost at the No. 5 position in a third-set tiebreaker, 4-6, 6-4, 10-5.
Rutgers will travel to Morgantown, WV, to play West Virginia next Friday, April 4 in a 3 p.m. match.
Rutgers 4, Syracuse 3
Singles
No. 1 Daniela Kaluskova (SU) def. Andrea Weckstein (RU), 6-2, 6-3
No. 2 Masha Kabanova (SU) def. Carissa Sommerlad (RU), 4-6, 7-6 (7), 6-3
No. 3 Jennifer Hellier (RU) def. Shervin Saedinia (SU), 4-6, 6-2, 7-6 (3)
No. 4 Alina Balasa (RU) def. Trine Juliussen (SU), 6-3, 6-1
No. 5 Kristine Bech Holte (SU) def. Ketevan Shmakova (RU), 4-6, 6-4, 10-5
No. 6 Jill Markowitz (RU) def. Jessica Schlosser (SU), 6-3, 7-5
Doubles
No. 1 Weckstein/Sommerlad (RU) def. Kabanova/Saedinia (SU), 9-8
No. 2 Hellier/Shmakova (RU) def. Kaluskova/Holte (SU), 8-5
No. 3 Juliussen/Wei-Ming Leong (SU) def. Balasa/Markowitz (RU), 8-5
