NEWBURGH, NY – The Pratt Institute women's tennis team downed the Knights of Mt. St. Mary's College 5-4 to extend their winning streak to five contests overall.
In No. 1 doubles play, Amanda Twu and Melanie Kania won a tiebreaker to best the tandem of Michelle Carnovale and Victoria Clay 8-7 (7-5). The Knights would take the final two doubles flights and a 2-1 advantage into singles action.
After a loss in No. 1 singles increased Mt. St. Mary's lead to 3-1, Melanie Kania's victory in No. 2 singles, 10-4, and Cory Marks' win in No. 3 singles, 10-5, leveled the scoring at 3-3. A Caroline Madden win, coupled with a Morgan Ferweda loss again tied the match as the results of the No. 4 singles would decide the winner.
Trailing 9-5, freshman Maia Schlussel battled back to tie the match at 9-9. Schlussel again trailed in the tiebreaker 3-0, but with her teammates and coaches shouting words of encouragement, Schlussel rallied to win the tiebreaker and the match 10-9 (7-5).
"Maia was facing an uphill battle after being down 9-5," recalled coaches David Eddy and Brooke Severance. "She fought back, got to the tiebreaker and helped us secure the victory. She came through in the end."
Up Next: The Cannoneers return to Brooklyn on Tuesday, October 24, for a conference match against the Knights of Berkeley College. First serve is scheduled for 8:15.
