WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. - The Daemen College women's tennis team matched up with a Division I opponent for the second time this season, falling today to Niagara University 7-2 at Miller Tennis Center.

The loss sends Daemen to 8-14 overall this season, while the Purple Eagles, members of the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference, improve to 4-6 under first-year head coach Mike Mucci.  Daemen had previously dropped a 5-2 decision to fellow MAAC member St. Peter's University last fall in the Wildcats' first-ever match against a Division I opponent.

NU opened the dual match today by winning two of a possible three points in doubles action.

First doubles had a sisterly feel to it as sisters Karli Hollins (Orchard Park, N.Y./SUNY Geneseo), a Daemen junior, and Haley Hollins (Orchard Park, N.Y.), a Niagara freshman, went at it alongside their respective partners.  NU's Hollins teamed with sophomore Stella Peisakhova (Odessa, Ukraine) to win 8-4, dropping the Daemen pairing of Hollins and classmate Hayle Scanlan (Indianapolis, Ind./Perry Meridian) to 13-9 in doubles matches this season.

The Purple Eagles also picked up a point in second doubles where sophomore Sharlee Deshmukh (Pune, India) and freshman Shannon Wong (Baie Du Tombeau, Mauritius) blanked the Wildcat pairing of sophomore Gretchen Ringler (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda) and freshman Jessica Robins (North Tonawanda, N.Y./North Tonawanda), 8-0.

Daemen broke through with an  8-1 victory in third doubles from newcomers Leighanna Hewes (Boston, N.Y./Hamburg) and Delaney Fragale (Lockport, N.Y./Lockport) as the freshmen paired together for the first time this season.

Singles play was all NU, however.  Peisakhova, Haley Hollins, Wong, Deshnukf and LeAnn Richert (Tonawanda, N.Y.) won in slots one through five to seal the Purple Eagles' victory, snapping their three-match slide.

The Purple Eagles did not place a player in sixth singles, giving Fragale a win by default to account for Daemen's second point in the match.

Daemen, which is now 3-3 this spring, hosts Division III foe Rochester Institute of Technology next Saturday, March 12 at Miller Tennis Center.  It will be the second dual match of the spring between the Wildcats and Tigers.  Daemen was victorious 7-2 in the earlier meeting which occurred as part of the Daemen/Medaille Invitational on February 21.