The Cabrini women’s tennis team took a devastating loss to CSAC opponent Gwynedd-Mercy on Thursday, Sept. 23. This match was the deciding factor as to who would be in first place for the conference.
After six hours of play, Cabrini took its second loss of the season. Gwynedd-Mercy defeated them 5-4 overall. With both teams being unbeaten in the CSAC play, this was an unfortunate loss for the Cavaliers, moving them to 8-2 for the season and second in the conference.
“They were tougher matches and there was a lot of pressure because we were competing with this team for first place in the conference,” Adrianna Scotto, freshman undeclared major, said.
In doubles matches, Cabrini was 1-2. Michelle Lettman and Victoria Nastala were the only win for the Cavaliers, defeating their opponent 8-4. Katie Kennedy and Gabriela Durand lost their match 8-3, as did Adrianna Scotto and Alexis DiCamillo.
As for the singles matches, Cabrini tied Gwynedd-Mercy 3-3. On center court was junior Alexis DiCamillo. In the first set, DiCamillo was down most of the set, 1-2, then 3-4 points. DiCamillo made an amazing come-back and she defeated her opponent, Chelsea Donde, 6-4 in the first set.
The second set was just as intense for DiCamillo, going point for point with her opponent. She started off being down two points to one but after that was leading by one point for most of the match. She defeated Donde in two sets, 6-4, 6-4.
“Whoever wins this is in first place so I played the hardest I could. I know the team should be able to take care of the rest. We were all iffy in doubles but it just warmed me up to play awesome in my singles match,” DiCamillo, junior human resources major, said.
Victoria Nastala also defeated her opponent Cori Wessner in two sets. Nastala wasted no time and took both sets 6-3 6-4. Gabby Durand had a tough match on her hands versus the No.2 player on Gwynedd-Mercy, Jess Scarpello.
Durand played Scarpello in three sets to win the match, defeating her opponent 6-2 in the first set. Scarpello then took Durand in the second set, 3-6. The third setwas a deciding factor. After playing for over an hour, both sides were very tired. Durand ended up taking the third set, 6-4. This would be the third win for Cabrini’s singles matches.
Also on center court for the Cavaliers was Katie Kennedy. Her opponent was number one for Gwynedd-Mercy, Rachel Fein. Unfortunately, Fein took the win from Kennedy in two straight sets. The match didn’t last long as Fein showed no mercy and defeated Kennedy, 6-1, 6-1.
Adrianna Scotto also took a loss in two straight sets. Heather Morgan, playing for Gwynedd-Mercy, beat out Scotto, 6-3, 6-2.
“The hardest part of these matches is the transitioning with different levels of play. Some schools we play are beginner and then we play more experienced teams like Gwynedd-Mercy,” Scotto said. “Also, I need to practice being more consistent. Consistency is key in matches like this one.”
After what seemed to be the longest match of the whole competition, Michelle Lettman took a tough loss to her opponent Chelsea Jones. Lettman looked as though she was going to blow Jones out of the water with a 6-0 win in the first set. The second set was the deal breaker of the match. After being up for most of the set, Jones ended up winning, 7-5. She also took the third set from Lettman, 6-1.
Even after the six-hour long competition between Gwynedd-Mercy and the Cavaliers, the team stayed positive. They all think the CSAC championship is still in reach.
“Yes the CSAC championship is in our future. I’ve been wanting this since freshman year. We’ve come so close before but I know this team is hungry for it,” DiCamillo said.
“Yes, definitely. We have a strong team this year who wants to win,” Scotto said.
