#1 Pratt, 4 vs #2 Marywood, 0 |
BOX SCORE
Recap courtesy of Pratt Sports Information Department
ASTON, Pa. – The Pratt Institute women's tennis team claimed its second consecutive Atlantic East Conference Championship on Friday, delivering back-to-back 4-0 sweeps over No. 4 Immaculata University and No. 2 Marywood University at Neumann University's ESCS Memorial Courts.
The Cannoneers finish with a perfect 12-0 record and without conceding a match point in Atlantic East play this season.
Junior Pallavi Verghese (Fayetteville, Ark.) was named the Tournament MVP after anchoring the top of the lineup with flawless execution across both postseason matches. The junior remained perfectly unbeaten against conference opponents in both singles and doubles play this season.
In the afternoon semifinal against Immaculata, the Cannoneers established control early. The doubles pairings of junior Satoka Shibasaki (Tokyo, Japan) and first-year Olivia Tao (Ann Arbor, Mich.) at No. 3, along with Verghese and junior Beatrice Crespo(Kearny, N.J.) at No. 1, secured swift 6-1 victories. Senior Srishti Agarwal (Gurugram, India) and first-year Judith Song (Sharon, Mass.) completed the doubles sweep with their own 6-1 result at the No. 2 slot.
Pratt quickly closed out the dual match in singles action. Verghese breezed to a 6-1, 6-0 win at the top flight, and Song added a 6-0, 6-1 triumph at No. 3. Crespo delivered the match-clinching point at No. 2, advancing the black-and-gold to the championship final with a 6-1, 6-0 decision.
Facing Marywood under the evening lights in a rematch of last year's title game as the tournament was held on one day with inclement weather forecast through the weekend, Pratt maintained its momentum. Shibasaki and Tao raced to a 6-0 love victory at No. 3 doubles, and Verghese and Crespo clinched the initial team advantage with a 6-1 win at the top spot, while Agarwal and Song led 4-2 in the No. 2 spot.
The bottom of the singles lineup pushed the Cannoneers to the brink of the championship. Tao surrendered just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 victory at No. 6, while Shibasaki posted a dominant 6-0, 6-1 result at No. 5.