Fairfield Captures 2019 MAAC Women’s Tennis Championship

4/28/2019 2:54:43 PM

West Windsor, NJ – Fairfield University dethroned the five-time defending MAAC Women’s Tennis Champions, Quinnipiac University, by a final score of 4-3. The win marks the first championship for the Stags since the 2012 season. The 2019 Women’s Tennis Most Outstanding Performer was Fairfield’s Jessica Pil.

The Stags began the championship match with a tough doubles loss. Quinnipiac’s Jennifer Lu and Layla Rodriguez, secured the first doubles match for the Bobcats by defeating Fairfield’s Anna Komer and Jessica Pil 6-4 in the No. 3 spot. Dominique Vasile and Proyfon Lohaphaisan secured the second match and the doubles point with a 6-4 win over Amanda Nowak and Aina March in the No. 1 spot.

In singles play, the Bobcats increased the lead to 2-0 with a 6-1, 6-0 win from Jennifer Lu in the No. 2 spot over Fairfield’s Diana Prinos. The Stags came roaring back with two points of their own however, as Anna Komer and Sophia Prinos both won their matches in straight sets. Komer defeated Payton Bradley in the No. 4 spot, while Prinos defeated Layla Rodriguez in the No. 5 spot.

The fifth point of the day put the Bobcats back out in front when Kamilla Nella took down Fairfield’s Aina March 6-2, 7-5 in straight sets from the No. 3 spot. The lead didn’t last long however, as the 2019 MAAC Women’s Tennis Player of the Year, Amanda Nowak, grabbed a tough point after defeating Quinnipiac’s Dominique Vasile in the No. 1 spot; 6-4, 7-6⁶.

All eyes would fall on Fairfield’s Jessica Pil and Quinnipiac’s Courtney Nash, as their No. 6 singles match would determine the MAAC Championship. Pil would take the first set 6-4, but Nash would come back with a 6-4 set win of her own. The first two points of the third set would be split to bring the match even again. Quinnipiac’s Nash was then called for a match violation, giving the match point and championship point to Fairfield.

The Stags will now wait to see who they play in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The selection show airs tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. and can be viewed at ncaa.com. For more information on the 2019 MAAC Tennis Championships, visit maacsports.com/tennis.

About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 38^th year of competition during the 2018-19 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.