MIDDLEBURY, Conn. – Looking to get their first win of the season in their first conference match of the year, Post University returned from the ITA East Regional over the weekend to take on Jefferson University at the Edgewood Bath and Tennis Club on Tuesday afternoon. After three close Doubles matches in which the Rams would ultimately take the two of three needed for the point, they would close out the Eagles with five Singles wins en route to a 6-1 victory.

THE BASICS

Post University 1, Jefferson University 6

Post University (0-3, 0-1 CACC)

Jefferson University (2-1, 1-1 CACC)
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
After taking early leads in the #2 and #3 Doubles matches, the Eagles would fall behind in eventually lose the #2 Doubles as senior Megan Lombardt and freshman Annelein Van Urk dropped their match to graduate student Anna Morgillo and junior Rose Huang, 6-3. That came shortly after the #1 Doubles went to freshman Alycia Veroux and graduate student Nicole Hrbkova in a 6-0 sweep against freshman Julie Merlin and senior Nina Langenfeld.

Winning the lone Doubles match of the day for Post was freshman Melanie Leussink and junior Gioia Turco with a 7-5 win over senior Zenia Barretto and junior Emily Frost, 7-5, in the #3 Doubles as the Rams secured the Doubles point to make it 1-0 heading into the Singles.

In the Singles, Post would capture just one as Merlin won the #3 Singles in three sets against Huang after dropping the first set, 6-2. The freshman would go on to take set two, 6-4, and then the 10-point tiebreaker set, 10-7. The only other match to go three sets was the #4 Singles as Langenfeld dropped set one to Barretto, 6-2, before coming back to win set two, 6-1, and then dropping the 10-point tiebreaker, 11-9.

Winning the #1 Singles over Lombardt was Veroux in straight sets, 6-2 and 6-4, while the #2 Singles went to Hrbkova over Van Urk in a pair of 6-0 sweeps. Rounding out the final two wins of the day for the Rams were Morgillo and Frost in the #5 and #6 Singles as Morgillo won her two sets, 6-4 and 6-1, over Melanie Leussink while Frost defeated Turco in a pair of 6-1 set wins.

BY THE NUMBERS

• With her #3 Singles win today, Julie Merlin picked up her first career collegiate Singles win with the three-set defeat of Rose Huang
• Post University starts 0-3 on the season for the first time since the 2014-15 campaign in which they dropped their first 10 matches in a 1-11 campaign
• In Singles play dating back to last season, Megan Lombardt has lost 13 consecutive matches – Lombardt's last Singles win came against Molloy University last September
• Post University has now lost eight straight matches to Jefferson University and are 3-17 all-time against the Rams

 
WHO'S NEXT
Post University finishes their three-game homestand with a non-conference matchup against Franklin Pierce University scheduled for Thursday afternoon at the Edgewood Bath and Tennis Club with a 3:00 PM start. While they have not played the Ravens since the 2018-19 season, the Eagles are 2-0 all-time against them and have never dropped a match with a combined 16-0 record in the two matches they have played.