April 28, 2012
Box Score
FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. - Seeking its 19th straight America East title, the Boston University women's tennis team lost the final singles point in three sets to Stony Brook in a hard-fought 4-3 semifinal defeat on Saturday afternoon at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
After capturing the doubles point, the Seawolves (13-7) won three of the six singles matches to prevent the Terriers (6-13) from earning their 14th consecutive NCAA berth.
Flirting with defeat the last two years with three straight 4-3 victories over the previous two tournaments, BU's amazing reign atop the league finally came to an end, as the Terriers suffered their first-ever loss in the annual tournament.
Earning its seventh victory in the last eight matches, Stony Brook took an early 1-0 lead by winning two doubles matches, but the Terriers quickly tied it up at No. 5 singles, as the Seawolves had to default against senior Petra Santini.
Showing how close the match went, four of the remaining five singles contests went to a third set. Two-time America East Player of the Year Stefanie Nunic won in her final appearance in the scarlet & white with a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 victory in the No. 3 slot.
Junior Jessi Linero won the other three-set match at No. 6 after failing to win a single game in the first set. She pulled out a thrilling third-set tie-breaker for the 0-6, 6-2, 7-6(10-8) victory.
The Seawolves though kept even with the Terriers by winning the top singles spot against Vivien Laszloffy, 6-2, 7-6(8-6), and pulling out a 2-6, 6-1, 6-0 victory over senior Monika Mical at No. 4.
With the score tied at 3-3, the clinching point came down to No. 2 singles. Sophomore Leonie-Charlotte Athanasiadis won the championship point last year against Binghamton in a difficult three-set contest but was unable to pull out the same magic against Stony Brook.
Athanasiadis won the first set but dropped a hard-fought second-set tiebreaker en route to a 3-6, 7-6(7-5), 6-1 loss, as the Seawolves advanced to Sunday's title match.
2012 America East Tennis Championship
Women's Semifinal
#4 Stony Brook - 4, #1 Boston University - 3
Singles
1. Lagvilava (SBU) def. Vivien Laszloffy (BU): 6-2, 7-6 (8-6)
2. Movchan (SBU) def. Leonie-Charlotte Athanasiadis (BU): 3-6, 7-6 (7-5), 6-1
3. Stefanie Nunic (BU) def. Hanson (SBU): 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
4. Appineni (SBU) def. Monika Mical (BU): 2-6, 6-1, 6-0
5. Petra Santini (BU) def. Pike (SBU): 0-1 inj.
6. Jessi Linero (BU) def. Mkervalidze (SBU): 0-6, 6-2, 7-6 (10-8)
Doubles
1. Lagvilava/Movchan (SBU) led Athanasiadis/Linero (BU): 7-5 DNF
2. Hanson/Appineni (SBU) def. Laszloffy/Santini (BU): 8-4
3. Pike/Mkervalidze (SBU) def. Mical / Sami Lieb (BU): 9-8 (7-4)
