WEST POINT, N.Y. – For the sixth time in 10 seasons, the Boston University women's tennis team captured the Patriot League tournament title, sweeping Army West Point, 5-0, on Sunday afternoon in a hostile environment at the Black Knights' Lichtenberg Tennis Center.
Securing their 28th overall conference trophy and 19th automatic NCAA berth, the Terriers (19-4) won the first two doubles points for the early 1-0 lead and then captured four singles points in straight sets to eliminate the Black Knights (21-9) while also setting a program record in wins.
Led by head coach
Lesley Sheehan, BU will learn its NCAA destination on Monday (May 1) at 6 p.m. on
NCAA.com.
HOW IT HAPPENED
In doubles, BU earned wins in the Nos. 2 and 3 spots, respectively. Grad student
Shelly Yaloz and sophomore
Michelle Kleynerman defeated their opponents 6-1 to set the foundation for the doubles point. At line three, junior
Victoria Carlsten and freshman
Emily Zhao sealed the deal with a 6-1 victory of their own.
Overall, Yaloz & Kleynerman and Carlsten & Zhao won each of their doubles matches to go undefeated in the tournament. Carlsten and Zhao also clinched the doubles point all three times.
In singles, junior
Kaitlin Tan earned an efficient 6-2, 6-1 win at the No. 4 spot. Next to finish for BU was Yaloz at the top of the lineup who won 6-0, 6-4. Yaloz, who went undefeated in PL play at line one during the regular season, did not drop a set over the three days and was named Tournament MVP for her efforts.
Up 3-0, BU needed just one more win in singles to secure the title but the Terriers finished off the match with a double clinch. Kleynerman won at the No. 2 spot 6-3, 6-1 while Carlsten simultaneously won at the No. 4 spot 6-2, 6-1. Their wins propelled the Terriers to the final score of 5-0.
BU did not drop a single point in its three PL Tournament matches. The last time the Terriers swept all of their opponents in the tournament was in 2015 when they won 4-0 against Bucknell, Army and Navy.
No. 1 Boston University 5, No. 3 Army West Point 0
Doubles (Order of Finish: 2, 3*)
1.
Kaitlin Tan /
Erica Di Battista (BU) vs. Cooper Jackson/Paige Herremans (ARMY) 4-4 DNF
2.
Shelly Yaloz /
Michelle Kleynerman (BU) def. Jenna Sabile/Julia Kelly (ARMY) 6-1
3.
Victoria Carlsten /
Emily Zhao (BU) def. McKinnley Smith/Anna Loureiro (ARMY) 6-1
Singles (Order of Finish: 4, 1, 2*, 3*)
1.
Shelly Yaloz (BU) def. Cooper Jackson (ARMY) 6-0, 6-4
2.
Michelle Kleynerman (BU) def. Elizabeth Gilbert (ARMY), 6-3, 6-1
3.
Victoria Carlsten (BU) def. Jenna Sabile (ARMY) 6-3, 6-4
4.
Kaitlin Tan (BU) def. Emma Sy (ARMY), 6-2, 6-1
5.
Navya Vadlamudi (BU) vs. Ylan Duong (ARMY), 3-6, 6-3 DNF
6.
Emily Zhao (BU) led Paige Herremans (ARMY), 7-5, 4-2 DNF
