Skip To Main Content

Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
Fearless, Integrity, Effort, Respect, Commitment, Excitement
otis wten vs dyc
Junior Courtney Otis finished the season with 10 combined singles and doubles wins, nearly doubling her career total to 21
0
Daemen DAEW (5-5)
4
Winner Queens QUEW (2-1)
Daemen DAEW
(5-5)
0
Final
4
Queens QUEW
(2-1)
Winner

Match Recap: Women's Tennis | | CONTACT: Mike Miranto, Sr. Associate A.D. for External Operations & Communications | (716) 839-8385 | mmiranto@daemen.edu

Wildcats Fall To Queens In ECC Championship Play-In Round

FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Daemen women's tennis team saw their season come to an end today following a 4-0 loss to perennial powerhouse Queens (N.Y.) in the play-in round of the East Coast Conference Championship which is being held this weekend at the Queens College Tennis Center. 

All three postseason-eligible ECC teams that competed this season are included in the conference tournament. Queens advances to tomorrow's final round match vs. St. Thomas Aquinas with an NCAA tournament bid on the line. The Knights, who were limited to just two regular season matches due to COVID-19 protocols this spring, improved to 2-1 overall as they seek a second straight conference championship and 19th straight NCAA tournament appearance.

Daemen finishes their shortened campaign with an even 5-5 record. It marks the first time in the nine-year history of the program that the Wildcats have finished a season with a .500 winning percentage or better. Today's match also marked the team's first-ever appearance in the ECC Championship. 

Queens took a 1-0 lead in the match after earning wins in second and third doubles. Gabriela Sciarotta and Aleksandra Caricic teamed up for a 6-1 win on the third court, followed by another 6-1 win from Nathalie Ulander and Lilly Schmidt on the second court.

Needing just three singles wins to clinch the match, Queens got exactly that. Sciarotta won in fourth singles (6-0, 6-0), Lovisa Engstrand won in third singles (6-0, 6-2) and Caricic picked up the clinching point with her win in fifth singles (6-1, 6-0). 

The three remaining singles matches (as well as the first doubles match) were left unfinished. Daemen's Frida Rubio (San Diego, Calif.) and Christina Stasiuk (Bowmansville, N.Y.) were both in the midst of three-set affairs at first and second singles when Queens clinched the match. Rubio took her opening set (6-4) against ECC Preseason Player of the Year Maja Makal. Makal evened the match with a 6-3 second set and was up 3-1 in the third when things were halted. Similarly, Stasiuk jumped out to a lead on Ulander, winning the first set 6-4. Ulander came back to knot things up with a 6-3 second set. 

Today's individual results give Daemen a 35-22 mark in singles matches and a 17-12 mark in doubles play this season. Their winning percentages - .614 in singles; .586 in doubles - are both program records for a season. Rubio, Stasiuk and Mackenzie Schayes (Honeoye Falls, N.Y.) all recorded seven singles wins to lead the team. 

Stasiuk, the team's lone senior, has the left door open to a possible return next fall, utilizing an additional year of eligibility granted by the NCAA due to COVID-19. She has totaled 67 combined singles and doubles wins in her four-year career, ranking fourth in program history. 

Today's match also might have been the finale for junior Courtney Otis (Marcellus, N.Y.) whose academic pursuits may prohibit her from further competition. Otis enjoyed her finest collegiate season this spring. Her 10 combined singles and doubles wins nearly doubled her career total to 21. 

If Stasiuk and Otis are able to return, the Wildcats could be bringing back their entire roster for the 2021-22 season which is expected to be more normal in nature with the bulk of competitions coming during the fall semester, including a full conference slate. 

Daemen College features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

Support Daemen College's return to intercollegiate athletic competitions by making a contribution to the Game On Campaign and the Daemen Wildcats Gotta Play Fund. This comprehensive fundraising campaign was established to help offset the loss of valuable external revenue streams that directly support Daemen's 17 varsity teams. To learn more, visit daemenwildcats.com/gameon.



 
Print Friendly Version