MADISON, N.J. – The Drew University women's tennis team defeated Wilkes University 4-2 in the first round of the Landmark Conference Championships on Tuesday at the Drew Tennis Complex.
With the win, the No. 5-seeded Rangers (10-10) advance to face top-seeded University of Scranton in the semifinals on Thursday. The match will be held inside at the Birchwood Racquet Club in Clarks Summit, Pa., starting at noon.
Drew opened the match with a 1-0 lead after capturing the doubles point. Sophomore
Nicole Kalorin and senior
Riley Roesel earned a 6-3 victory at No. 2 doubles while juniors
Kapriana Payami and
Danielle Pettoni registered a 6-2 win at No. 3.
In singles play, the No. 5-seeded Colonels tied that match at 1-1 with a victory at No. 1 before sophomore
Madison Williams gave the Rangers a 2-1 lead with a 6-1, 6-0 win at the No. 4 slot. Pettoni gave Drew a 3-1 lead with a 6-2, 6-3 victory at No. 5 before Wilkes made it 3-2 with a win at No. 2. But freshman
Natalia Melendez Sanchez clinched Drew's victory, as she prevailed 6-4, 6-0 at No. 6, bringing the match to a close due to the Landmark Conference's clinch scoring rules for postseason matches.
