NEWPORT, R.I. – It was a narrow decision for Post University Women's Tennis to kick off the spring half of the season, but not quite enough to pick up their first win of the 2025-26 campaign. Playing with only four players, the Eagles would come up just short against Salve Regina University on the road, falling to 0-14 in a 4-3 decision.
THE BASICS
Post University 3, Salve Regina University 4
Post University (0-14)
Salve Regina University (4-6)
HOW IT HAPPENED
With both senior
Gioia Turco and junior
Ana Vasilis out, that gave Salve Regina both the #5 and #6 Singles, as well as the #3 Doubles, which put the Eagles in a 2-0 hole right out of the gate and in need of two wins in Doubles play to capture that crucial point heading into the four Singles matches.
They would do just that as the duo of sophomore
Julie Merlin and freshman
Savannah Croft were victorious in the #1 Doubles against junior Kaydin Pinto and junior Anna Grace Hjerpe, as were sophomore
Laura Kotala and freshman
Vitalina Sokoliuk against senior Cayla Dolan and junior Stephanie Davis, in the #2 Doubles, both by 6-3 scores.
Post would nearly be able to pull off the three Singles wins they needed to earn their first victory of the season, as Merlin took the #1 Singles against Pinto in three sets, all of which were 6-4 decisions, as the sophomore dropped the first set before winning the next two. The #2 Singles also went the way of the Eagles as Sokoliuk took only two sets to defeat junior Madigan Murphy by 6-2 and 6-1 scores, but the #3 and #4 Singles matches would both go the way of Salve Regina, giving them the 4-3 win.
In those matches, Croft was swept, 6-4 and 6-3, by freshman Sophia Padro, while Kotala's #4 Singles against senior Sadie Reig came down to the wire. After Rieg took set one, 6-3, Kotala would force a third set with a 6-4 victory, leading to a 10-point tiebreaker in the final set, in which Rieg came away with a 10-7 win to clinch the victory for the Seahawks.
BY THE NUMBERS
- Julie Merlin moves to an even .500 in Singles play this year at 7-7 with her win today
- Dating back to last season, Post University has lost 17 straight matches and 22 of its previous 23 matches
- Still winless, this is the first time since the 2013-14 season in which Post University has been winless during a season and has now tied the program record for most single-season losses with 14, which was their total last year
- In the all-time series, Salve Regina University improves to 2-0 against Post University, having also beaten them by a 4-3 decision last season
WHO'S NEXT
Post University comes home on Sunday, April 12th, to take on Bentley University at 3:00 PM at the Edgewood Bath & Tennis Club in Middlebury, Connecticut. The Eagles are 3-1 in the all-time series against the Falcons, including sweeping them in each of the last two matchups.
