Staten Island, N.Y. – The Le Moyne College women's tennis team earned its first victory of the Spring season with a 4-2 win over Wagner College in Northeast Conference action on Sunday night at the College of Staten Island tennis courts.

"An amazing weekend for the women," said head coach Jeff Lonczak '03. "The women gave an amazing effort against a very good FDU squad.  Paula once again deserved a bow in defeating a tough player at #1. They proved to be a little too deep for us, but the women never lost confidence going into our next match at Wagner. Once again, the effort was there and we figured out a way to win the doubles point. A great win at 3 for Fran and Ali and Ella and Isa at 2. Paula once again showed her mental strength in beating a solid player in a long three-set match. Ali Alvarez came through at 4 setting up Isabella Barona to clinch things at 5. It was a really solid team effort for the weekend on the women's side, which saw them get back to .500 in the conference standings."

The Dolphins took a 1-0 lead in the match by winning the doubles competition for the first time this Spring. At the second position, freshman Ella Fernando (Manchester, England/Stonyhurst College) and senior Isabella Barona (Manta, Ecuador/Talentos de Manta) registered a 6-2 victory over Samantha Bentsianov and Dariana Vera. Sophomore Alicia Alvarez (Madrid, Spain/IES Ortega y Gasset) and graduate student Francesca Lilliegren (Guayaquil, Ecuador/Colegio Alemán Humboldt Guayaquil) clinched the point with a 6-4 win at the third spot over Paula Uy and Jasmine Lin. Tara Dakic and Gabrielle Perraudin prevented the sweep with a 6-4 victory at the top position over freshman Lilia Raiss (Temara, Morocco/Descartes) and sophomore Stella Simeonova (Sofia, Bulgaria/National Gymnasium of Mathematics and Natural Sciences).
 
Uy evened the match at one apiece with a 6-4, 7-5 win at the third position over Raiss. Perraudin put the Seahawks in front by rallying for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-4 at the second spot over Fernando. At the first singles position, sophomore Paula Casares (A Coruna, Spain/Colegio Maristas Cristo Rey) edged Dakic, 7-5, 4-6, 7-5, to improve to 5-2 on the season in dual matches and knot the match at two points each. Alvarez tallied a 6-0, 6-4 victory at the fourth spot over Bentsianov for the Dolphins' third point. Barona clinched the match with a 6-2, 6-3 win over Vera at the fifth position. Simeonova was leading Lin at the sixth spot, 6-1, 1-0, when the match was clinched.

Le Moyne (3-4, 2-2 NEC) heads to Niagara University on Sunday, February 18 at 2:00 p.m.