Tennis Defeats Seton Hall

Wednesday, February 25

EBRC, East Brunswick, N.J.

1:00 PM

Rutgers University

Seton Hall

Feb 25 | Women's Tennis

Feb. 25, 2015

EAST BRUNSWICK, N.J. (Feb. 25, 2015) -The Rutgers women's tennis team defeated Seton Hall, 5-2, on Wednesday afternoon at the East Brunswick Racquet Club. It marked the eighth consecutive win over Seton Hall in as many seasons and the second straight win of the 2015 campaign.

"I was pleased that we stayed within our style of play and that the girls really showed a strong competitive spirit," said head coach Ben Bucca. "I believe that was a key difference in the match because it was close right down the line.

"I think it has put the team in a pretty good frame of mind for our first Big Ten match against nationally ranked Maryland on Saturday."

Rutgers opened the match with three consecutive victories in doubles action. Senior Lindsay Balsamo (Wall.N.J.) and freshman Chloe Lee (Albuquerque, N.M.) defeated Madison Shoemaker and Katie Kim at the No. 2 spot by the score of 8-2 to lead the way.

At the No. 1 spot, juniors Gina Li (Hillsborough, N.J.) and Mariam Zein (Sugarland, Texas)maintained control of the sets to hold off their opponents, 8-5, capturing the team doubles point for RU. Battling from a 3-4 deficit, junior Lindsey Kayati (Monroeville, N.J.) and freshman Lee Levy (Haifa, Israel) stayed strong to mount a comeback and take the win 8-5.

The Scarlet Knights went on to register wins in four of the six singles matches. Kayati quickly grabbed the first victory for RU at the No. 2 singles spot, downing her opponent by the decisive scores of 6-3, 6-0. Lee finished up next with a 6-4, 6-2 win, followed by Levy with a 6-4, 6-1 performance to seal the victory for RU.Li contributed the final singles win.

Despite tremendous fights from Zein and Balsamo, the two fell just short in their singles matches. Zein was topped by the close margin of 6-1, 4-6, 10-4, while Balsamo battled it out barely missing victory by the scores of 7-6, 5-7, 13-11.

Up next, Rutgers makes history with a trip to No. 54 Maryland on Saturday, Feb. 28 for its inaugural Big Ten match. The contest is set for noon start in College Park, Md.

Doubles
1. Gina Li/Mariam Zein (RU) def. Hannah Liljekvist/Julia Keenan (SHU); 8-5
2. Lindsay Balsamo/Chloe Lee (RU) def. Madison Shoemaker/Katie Kim (SHU); 8-2
3. Lindsey Kayati/Lee Levy (RU) def. Marisa Quevedo/Isabell Klingert (SHU); 8-5

Singles
1. Gina Li (RU) def. Hannah Liljekvist (SHU); 7-5, 6-4
2. Lindsey Kayati (RU) def. Marisa Quevedo (SHU); 6-3, 6-0
3. Chloe Lee (RU) def. Katie Kim (SHU); 6-4, 6-2
4. Julia Keenan (SHU) def. Lindsay Balsamo (RU); 7-6, 5-7, 13-11
5. Isabell Klingert (SHU) def. Mariam Zein (RU); 6-1, 4-6, 10-4
6. Lee Levy (RU) def. Madison Shoemaker (SHU); 6-4, 6-1

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-RU-