PREVIEW: Women's tennis at Franklin Pierce

9/7/2021 10:35:00 AM

MANCHESTER, N.H. – Opening the season against a regionally-ranked opponent on Sunday, the Saint Anselm College women's tennis team will battle the 2020 NCAA Division II East Region Championship winners on Wednesday at Franklin Pierce University.

With a completely new look to the roster that includes the addition of six freshmen, Saint Anselm will attempt to improve upon its 2-9 record during the 2020-21 campaign. The Hawks fell by a 4-0 margin to Stonehill on Sunday to open their 46th season as a varsity program.

Franklin Pierce will make its season debut against the Hawks in 2021-22 just one season removed from a dominant 14-1 campaign under long-time Head Coach Peter Arsenault. After claiming the Northeast-10 Conference title on May 2, the Ravens toppled Stonehill in the regional finals before dropping a 4-0 decision at the NCAA Division II Championship.

Spectators planning to attend the match in-person must familiarize themselves with the Franklin Pierce spectator policy.

SCOUTING SAINT ANSELM

The Hawks took on the No. 2-ranked team in the East Region on Sunday, falling to Stonehill College by a 4-0 margin. Stonehill was the runner-up to Franklin Pierce in the 2021 NCAA Division II East Region Championship.
Cristina Solorzano Valencia and Steffi Antao cruised to a No. 1 doubles victory for Stonehill and the No. 3 doubles pairing of Lily Peter and Marissa Such handled the Hawks freshman duo of Julia Svor (Lewiston, Maine) and Julia Casaletto (Rowley, Mass.), who were making their collegiate debut.
Antao, ranked No. 10 in the region as a singles player, blanked her opponent at No. 2 singles before Samantha Ormesher tripped up freshman Bridget Hughes (Rockland, Mass.), 6-2, 6-0 to create a 3-0 lead for Stonehill. The match ended with a Solorzano Valencia (No. 4-ranked singles player in East Region) victory over Anastasia Kapothanasis (Westbrook, Maine) at No. 1 singles.
Elle Doucette (Newburyport, Mass.) was in the process of making her collegiate debut at No. 5 singles and was tied at 2-2 in the second game before the match was called.
The Hawks roster features one of the largest recruiting classes in recent memory for the program. Saint Anselm also welcomes back all of its 2020-21 roster with the exception of seniors Dominique Bolduc '21 and Maikah Bulpitt '21.
Sophomore Elizabeth Janiak (Nashua, N.H.) was named to the All-Rookie Team by the Northeast-10 Conference to conclude last season. Winner of NE10 Rookie of the Week honors on Apr. 20, she was the first All-Rookie team from Saint Anselm since Emily Jacy (Glastonbury, Conn.) earned the honor in 2018.
Jacy will co-captain the team alongside junior Anastasia Kapothanasis (Westbrook, Maine). Across a three-year career on the Hilltop, Jacy has won 11 singles matches and has been a part of 10 doubles victories. Kapothanasis has eight singles and seven doubles wins to her credit.

PREVIEWING FRANKLIN PIERCE

Winners of just 11 total matches from 2013-14 to 2018-19, Franklin Pierce has recently burst onto the national tennis scene with a combined 23-8 record in the past two seasons. The Ravens claimed the NE10 Regular Season Championship, the NE10 Postseason Championship and the NCAA Division II East Region title.
The Ravens roster features three graduate students, two juniors and two sophomores. The team returns its top doubles tandem of Himani Mor and Liria Loria and all but one of its top singles performers. Mor posted an 8-3 record at No. 2 singles and Loria was 9-1 on the year in singles competition.
The Ravens are coached by Alejandro Andres, who led Saint Anselm women's tennis to a 12-30 overall record from 2017-19.

ALL-TIME vs. FRANKLIN PIERCE

The Hawks own a decisive 25-7 lead in the all-time series against Franklin Pierce that dates back to 1990.
Saint Anselm won 14 consecutive matches against Franklin Pierce from Mar. 16, 2006 through Sept. 30, 2018.
The Ravens enjoy an active three-match winning streak against Saint Anselm – in that span, Saint Anselm has not taken a point, losing by scores of 7-0, 5-0 and 4-0.

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