For Immediate Release

April 20, 2012

Reporting provided by So. New Hampshrie and Stonehill Athletics Communications Staffs

Top-seeded Stonehill College and third-seeded Southern New Hampshire University both earned 5-0 victories on Friday to advance to the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Women's Tennis Championship match, which will take place on Sunday afternoon (1:00 p.m.) at Stonehill.

It marks the third straight year that the two programs will face off in the Northeast-10 Championship match.

So. New Hampshire has claimed the conference title in each of the last two seasons, posting a 5-2 win in 2010 to earn its first-ever Northeast-10 crown before earning a 5-2 win over Stonehill last spring. The Skyhawks will seek their first conference title since 2009.

#1 Stonehill 5, #4 Saint Michael's 0 - BOX
Easton, Mass. – Top-seeded Stonehill, currently ranked sixth in the East Region, took down fourth-seeded Saint Michael's College, 5-0, in the semifinals on Friday afternoon.

The Skyhawks took all three doubles matches for a 3-0 lead to begin the match, as the No. 2 doubles tandem of Jacquelyn Harrow and Bacall Brooks earned an 8-3 victory to get things underway. Paige Frost and Sarah Hickey followed up with a 9-8 win at No. 1 doubles before Amy Toegemann (pictured) and Meryl Lawrence earned an 8-6 triumph at No. 3.

Lawrence came through at No. 5 singles to defeat Caroline Toutoungi, 6-2, 6-2 before Frost closed it out at No. 3 singles with a 6-3, 6-0 victory over Jean-Marie McGrath.

Stonehill improves to 15-4 on the season with the victory, while Saint Michael's drops to 13-8 overall.

#3 So. New Hampshire 5, #2 Adelphi 0 - BOX
Garden City, N.Y. – Third-seeded So. New Hampshire also blanked second-seeded Adelphi University, 5-0, in the semifinals of the Northeast-10 Women's Tennis Championship on Friday. 

So. New Hampshire jumped out to a 3-0 lead after doubles, with Northeast-10 Player of the Year Alena Mukdaprakorn and NE-10 Rookie of the Year Diana Vamvakitis posting a 8-3 win at No. 1 doubles. Jamie Hann and Samantha Jean were 8-3 winners at second doubles, while Kirsten Jean and Amanda Albuquerque were 8-4 winners at No. 3.

Mukdaprakorn and Vamvakitis sealed the match in singles, with Mukdaprakorn posting a 6-1, 6-2 win over Maria Toft at No. 1, while Vamvakitis won 6-0, 6-0 at second singles over Michelle Gurda.

Friday's victory avenged an earlier 5-4 setback to Adelphi on March 31, a loss that snapped So. New Hampshire's 37-match Northeast-10 regular-season win streak. That streak was the third longest in conference history.

The Penmen improve to 17-5 overall, while the Panthers, who are ranked fourth in the East Region and likely to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Championship, are now 16-4.

The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 5,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.

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