LOUDONVILLE, N.Y. - In the Marist women's tennis 2012 fall opener, sophomore Sabrina Tahir (Yonkers, N.Y.) led the team's performance with the Flight C title of the Siena Classic. The duo of Joana Sun (Gales Ferry, Conn.) and Karlene Pang (Kaneohe, Hawaii) was also victorious as they won the Flight A title of doubles action.
Tahir won the Flight C title with three consecutive wins at the two-day tournament. Her winning streak began with a quarterfinal victory over Siena's Elora Benfer 6-4, 6-1. In the semifinals, she defeated teammate Nikki Rohan (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) 8-3 in an eight-game pro set. In the finals, she met up with another teammate Lisa Ventimiglia and won 6-1, 7-5.
Outside of Tahir, Rohan and Ventimiglia combined for the team's five other singles victories. Rohan defeated Hofstra's Paige Polizois in the first round, 6-4, 6-4 before holding off Queens College's Daniela Celi in a three set match 6-4, 4-6, 10-4. Ventimiglia earned three wins as she beat Queens' Darby Brandon, 3-6, 6-0, 10-7, Siena's Cassandra Braz in straight sets 6-0, 6-1 and Siena's Erika Reagan 6-2, 6-3.
In doubles action, the senior-freshman combination of Sun and Pang won three straight matches on their way to the Flight A title. In the first two rounds they dropped just three points as they defeated Siena's Braz and Jessica Macaluso, 8-1 and Hofstra's Bianca Derrick and Sonia Tsay, 8-2. In the finals, they battled it out with Queens' Andrea Samson and Francesca Fanchin, 9-7.
Other match winners in doubles' action included; Kelsey Raynor and Melissa Carlay (New Hyde Park, N.Y.) over Queen's Erika Goldsmith and Jennifer Fridman, 9-7 and Marielle Campbell (Patterson, N.Y.) and Tahir over Siena's Brittany Filip and Benfer, 8-2.
The Red Foxes will be in action next weekend in the Stony Brook Classic.
SIENA CLASSIC
September 8 & September 9
A Singles Flight
QUE: Andrea Samson def. MAR: Kelsey Raynor, 6-3, 6-3
QUE: Francesca Fanchin def. MAR: Joana Sun, 6-2, 6-7, (10-1)
HOF: Sonia Tsay def. MAR: Melissa Carlay, 3-6, 6-4, 11-9
B Singles Flight
SIE: Alyssa Singh def. MAR: Marielle Campbell, 7-5, 6-1
HOF: Sarah Bowen def. MAR: Kaye Eastman, 6-3, 6-0
C Singles Flight
MAR: Sabrina Tahir def. SIE: Elora Benfer, 6-4, 6-1
MAR: Sabrina Tahir def. MAR: Nikki Rohan, 8-3
MAR: Sabrina Tahir def. MAR: Lisa Ventimiglia, 6-1, 7-5 *Championship*
MAR: Nikki Rohan def. HOF: Paige Polizois, 6-4, 6-4
MAR: Nikki Rohan def. QUE: Daniela Celi, 6-4, 4-6, 10-4
MAR: Lisa Ventimiglia def. QUE: Darby Brandon, 3-6, 6-0, 10-7
MAR: Lisa Ventimiglia def. SIE: Cassandra Braz, 6-0, 6-1
MAR: Lisa Ventimiglia def. SIE: Erika Reagan, 6-2, 6-3
Doubles A Flight
MAR: Joana Sun/Karlene Pang def. SIE: Jessica Macaluso/Cassandra Braz, 8-1
MAR: Sun/Pang def. HOF: Bianca Derrick/Sonia Tsay, 8-2
MAR: Sun/Pang def. QUE: Andrea Samson/Francesca Fanchin, 9-7 *Championship*
MAR: Kelsey Raynor/Melissa Carlay def. QUE: Erika Goldsmith/Jennifer Fridman, 9-7
QUE: Andrea Samson/Francesca Fanchin def. MAR: Raynor/Carlay, 8-2
Doubles B Flight
SIE: Alyssa Singh/Erika Reagan def. MAR: Nikki Rohan/Kaye Eastman, 9-7
MAR: Marielle Campbell/Sabrina Tahir def. SIE: Elora Benfer/Brittany Filip, 8-2
HOF: Malissa Gilanchi/Sarah Bowen def. MAR: Campbell/Tahir, 8-6
