STAC Women's Tennis Advances to ECC Championship Final with 4-0 Victory Over Daemen

Posted: Oct 28, 2022

Flushing, N.Y. - The St. Thomas Aquinas College Tennis team advanced to the East Coast Conference Tournament Final with a 4-0 shutout victory over the Daemen University in the semifinal round on Friday afternoon at the Queens College Tennis Center.

Top-seeded STAC improves to 9-0 on the year, while Daemen closes its 2022 fall campaign at 3-7.

STAC opened things up with a dominant performance in doubles play, taking two matchups to secure the team doubles point. The duo of Paula Palero and Eliza Mulder took a 6-0 victory at the No. 3 slot over Mackenzie Schayes and Ailish McDevitt, followed by the pair of Jemima Parkinson and Elita Silins winning 6-1 against Yinett Del Leon and Carly Armitage at the No. 2 position.

Once the Spartans secured the doubles point, there was no turning back. St. Thomas Aquinas jumped right into singles play, taking the first three matches from the Wildcats to secure the win and advance to Saturday's championship. Elita Silins started the victory spree in the No. 5 slot, taking a 6-0, 6-1 victory over Mackenzie Schayes. Amaia Balaguer Brau followed the trend by taking a 6-0, 6-0 triumph in the No. 4 slot against Carly Armitage to give the Spartans a commanding 3-0 lead and put Daemen on the ropes, facing elimination. Ayesha Burnett delivered the final knockout blow in the No. 6 position, cruising to a 6-1, 6-0 win over Ailish McDevitt to end the postseason contest.

STAC 4/DAEMEN 0 - OFFICIAL RESULTS

DOUBLES

1. Ebba Rosberg & Samanta Villegas Robles (STAC) vs. Frida Rubio & Kitsa Scime (DAE) - 5-0 (Match Unfinished)

2. Jemima Parkinson & Elita Silins (STAC) def. Yinett Del Leon & Carly Armitage (DAE) - 6-1

3. Paula Palero & Eliza Mulder (STAC) def. Mackenzie Schayes & Ailish McDevitt (DAE) - 6-0

Order of Finish: 3, 2*

SINGLES

1. Ebba Rosberg (STAC) vs. Frida Rubio (DAE) - 6-1, 3-3 (Match Unfinished)

2. Viktoriia Pavlovets (STAC) vs. Kitsa Scime (DAE) - 2-6, 4-1 (Match Unfinished)

3. Samanta Villegas Robles (STAC) vs. Yinett Del Leon (DAE) - 6-1, 5-1 (Match Unfinished)

4. Amaia Balaguer Brau (STAC) def. Carly Armitage (DAE) - 6-3, 6-0

5. Elita Silins (STAC) def. Mackenzie Schayes (DAE) - 6-0, 6-0

6. Ayesha Burnett (STAC) def. Ailish McDevitt (DAE) - 6-1, 6-0

Order of Finish: 5, 4, 6*

Daemen Record: 3-7, 2-3 ECC

STAC Record: 9-0, 5-0 ECC

THE ROCKHILL REPORT

"We are happy with today's win as Daemen played very well", said Head Coach Dan Rockhill. "They are an up-and-coming team in the conference and I suspect they will be back in the ECC tournament often."

"Competing for championships never gets old and we are looking forward to the challenge tomorrow. We are fully aware of how good Queens is and I am not the least bit surprised to see them across the net in the final. They are tough to beat on their home indoor courts and our regular season match, in their bubble, was decided by just a few key points. We will need to win those similar key points to come home with the trophy tomorrow. "

"I really like this team and have every confidence that they will play relaxed and thoroughly enjoy the experience."

Up Next: #1 St. Thomas Aquinas takes on #3 seed and hosts, Queens College in the ECC Women's Tennis Championship Tournament Final on Saturday (October 29) at 2:30 p.m. Queens defeated #2 University of the District of Columbia, 4-0 in the first semifinal matchup on Friday. The Spartans are seeking their first ECC Women's Tennis Tournament crown in program history.

In regular season action, the Spartans defeated the Knights 5-2 on October 8 at the Queens College Tennis Center. A 2-2 tie through doubles and three singles matches was broken by sophomore Elita Silins' straight-sets triumph in the No. 6 slot, with senior Ebba Rosberg delivering the match clinching victory in three sets at the No. 1 position.