WEST WINDSOR, NJ (Apr. 20, 2024) – No. 1 Fairfield University and No. 2 Quinnipiac University both earned semifinal round wins on Saturday afternoon and will meet in the title match of the 2024 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Tennis Championship at Mercer County Park Tennis Center in West Windsor, New Jersey. The top-seeded Stags held off No. 4 Siena College’s comeback attempt, winning 4-2, while the Bobcats beat No. 3 Niagara University 4-0. Sunday’s championship final will mark the third straight and fifth time overall that the title match will be played between the two Connecticut rivals.
 
No. 1 Fairfield - 4 | No. 4 Siena - 2
Mercer County Park Tennis Center | WEST WINDSOR, NJ
Score Sheet
 
For the second consecutive season, Fairfield defeated Siena in the semifinal round, holding off the Saints late comeback attempt with a 4-2 victory. The Stags grabbed the doubles point by way of victories at the #1 and #2 positions. The #2 duo of Francesca Karman and Lily Malinowski defeated Manuela Gomez and Shelby Madeiros (6-3), while the #1 pair of Sarah Liu and Maeve Cassidy topped Alexa Wilson and Laia Giralt (7-5) to give Fairfield the 1-0 lead. In singles, Fairfield would take a commanding 3-0 lead after securing a pair of singles. At #3, Nicolette Loeffler beat Gomez (6-4, 6-2) and at #5, Malinowski took down Zaara Omar (6-1, 6-2). Siena’s rally would start at the #2 spot, when Giralt got past Katarina Plumtree (6-2, 6-3). Next at the #4 position, Emma Boggiali defeated Karman (6-1, 7-5), to pull Siena within one at 3-2. The deciding match would come at #6 when Cassidy toppled Jade Gautier (6-2, 6-4), clinching the third straight semifinals win for Fairfield with a 4-2 victory. Sunday will mark Fairfield’s third consecutive appearance in the title match and fourth trip over the past five seasons. The most successful women’s program in league history, the Stags are seeking their 11th MAAC title tomorrow, last winning the 2019 championship.


No. 2 Quinnipiac - 4 | No. 3 Niagara - 0
Mercer County Park Tennis Center | WEST WINDSOR, NJ
Score Sheet
 
Quinnipiac earned a shutout win over Niagara in the second semifinal contest of the day. The Bobcats didn’t wasn’t much time in the match, rolling to the doubles point with a pair of wins at the #2 and #1 flights. At #2 doubles, Caroline Schulson and Caitlin Flower were victorious over Coral Rodriguez and Maria Gabriela Melo, and in the #1 spot, the duo of Vera Sekerina and Dominique Yeo got by Elena Mayet and Larisa Kotok, with both duos earning identical 6-2 wins. Quinnipiac would go on to secure the next three points in singles to gain the shutout. Yeo got the first singles point for the Bobcats at the #5 spot, winning 6-2, 6-2 over Mercedes Velasco. Next, Flower topped Jaida Borg (6-1, 6-2) in the #4 spot for the third Quinnipiac point of the match. Lastly, at the #2 spot, Sekerina beat Rodriguez (6-2, 6-3) for the fourth and final point. Tomorrow will be the Bobcats’ 10^th consecutive trip into the championship title match, having advanced to the MAAC final every season since joining the league back in 2014. Quinnipiac will look to win its program’s eighth total MAAC tournament, having claimed the trophy in back-to-back seasons and in six consecutive seasons from 2014 to 2018.
 
The 2024 MAAC Women's Tennis Championship final will take place tomorrow, Sunday April 21 at 10:00 a.m. with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
 
For all information regarding the 2024 MAAC Men's & Women’s Tennis Championships, please 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 43rd year of competition during the 2023-24 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan College, Marist College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College. Merrimack College and Sacred Heart University will join the MAAC as full members in the 2024-25 academic year, expanding the conference to 13 institutions.
 
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