Syracuse, N.Y. - The Le Moyne College women's tennis team improved to 11-1 on the season and 9-0 in Northeast-10 Conference play with a 5-2 victory over Franklin Pierce University (7-2, 7-2 NE10) on Sunday afternoon at the Nottingham High School tennis courts. With the win the Dolphins clinch at least a share of the 2021-22 Northeast-10 Conference Regular Season Championship, the first in program history, and the #1 seed in the Northeast-10 Conference Championships. A win against Stonehill on Saturday the 16th will earn Le Moyne sole possession of the regular season title. 

The Dolphins won two of the three doubles matches to earn the first point of the afternoon. Isabella Barona (Manta, Ecuador/Talentos de Manta) and Brooke Fernandez (Shirley, N.Y./William Floyd) made quick work of Maria Penalver Aguilo and Zoe Asterio Correa in the number three doubles match, winning 6-1. Le Moyne's Birdem Oz (Istanbul, Turkey/Ted Ankara College Foundation HS) and Francesca Lilliegren (Guayaquil, Ecuador/ Colegio Alemán Humboldt Guayaquil) defeated Himani Mor and Anais Geslin 6-4 in the number one doubles match to clinch the first point. The number two doubles match between Le Moyne's Marta Nunez (Rye, N.Y./Antonio Lopez (Spain)) and Fiona Pepper (Challapampa, Peru/Colegio Anglo Americano Prescott) and Franklin Pierce's Liria Loria and Estela Carra went unfinished. 

Fernandez improved to 8-1 in conference singles, taking down Jillian Pagliuca 6-1, 6-0 in the number six singles spot. Lilliegren remained undefeated in conference singles, besting Asteria Correa 6-3, 6-2 in the number five singles match. In number four singles, Pepper fell to Carra by a score of 4-6, 1-6, and Nunez lost a tight match to Mor, 6-3, 5-7, 9-11 in the number three singles spot. Oz remained undefeated in singles this season and earned the Dolphins a point in the number two singles match, defeating Loria 6-1, 6-2. Barona took care of Penalver Aguilo 6-4, 6-1 in the number one singles match, and the Dolphins came away with a 5-2 conference victory.

Here's what head coach Jeff Lonczak '03 had to say after the match:

"It's such an honor to coach this team. The level of mental toughness from each player is off the charts. Our doubles today was spot on and intense. First doubles defeated the regional champions in an amazing match. Third doubles easily dispatched a terrific third doubles team. In singles our top and bottom led the way with Isabella taking out last year's rookie of the year and Birdem beating an all-time great at FPU easily. Fran and Brooke started fast and finished strong to give us our first regular season conference title. What a day!"

The Le Moyne College women's tennis team will play their final regular season conference dual match on Saturday, October 16 at 12:00 p.m. at the Nottingham High School tennis courts.