Women's Tennis Edges Suffolk, 5-4

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. -- The Bridgewater State University women's tennis team edged visiting Suffolk University, 5-4, on Thursday afternoon at the Rosen Memorial Tennis Courts.

Bridgewater captured two out of three doubles matches and split the six singles flights to record the win. The Bears improve to 3-1 on the season, while the visiting Rams fall to 1-4.

In doubles play, juniors Bojana Roman (Somerset, Mass.) and Amanda Strickland (Plymouth, Mass.) earned an 8-4 triumph at the second flight, while freshmen Rachel Tarantino (Mansfield, Mass.) and Angelique Gray (Osterville, Mass.) posted a 9-8 decision at number three in a match that was decided by a 7-5 tie-breaker. Tarantino and Gray trailed 5-2 early in the match but battled back to win in dramatic fashion and give the Bears a 2-1 lead.

Senior Aidiana Sagyndykova (Almaty, Kazakstahn) and junior Valentina Medina (San Andres, Colombia) notched the Rams' lone doubles point with an 8-1 victory at the top flight.

Medina, freshman Danlyn Medou (Inglewood, Calif.) and junior Jacquelyn Nakamura (Rancho Santa Fe, Calif.) all won in straight sets in singles play for Suffolk at the first, fifth and sixth flights, respectively.

Roman breezed to a 6-0, 6-1 straight set win at the second flight for the Bears, while Strickland also won in straight sets at the fourth spot, 6-1, 6-3.

With the match knotted at four, BSU junior Alison Scagnelli (Sutton, Mass.) gave the hosts the 5-4 win with a hard-fought 6-0, 3-6, 10-6 triumph at number three singles.

The Bears are off until next Tuesday (Sept. 20) afternoon when they host Little East Conference rival UMass Dartmouth at three. The Rams play their fourth of five straight road matches on Sunday afternoon at two against Emerson College.