WTEN: Nationally-Ranked Concordia Blanks Merrimack

BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – The Merrimack College women’s tennis team traveled south to Brookville, N.Y. and battled tough against No. 24 Concordia College (N.Y.) before falling to the Clippers, 9-0, on Saturday afternoon.

The Basics
Score: Merrimack 0 | #24 Concordia 9
Records: Merrimack (13-9) | #24 Concordia (11-0)
Location: Meyers Tennis Center | Brookville, N.Y.

How It Happened
The Warriors took on another top opponent from the East Region, as the Warriors visited the 24^th-ranked Clippers of Concordia College on Saturday afternoon hoping to improve its regional ranking.

In doubles play, the combinations of Grace Messina (Caracas, Venezuela)/Chealsey Giatrelis (Centerville, N.Y.) and Shakee Messina (Caracas, Venezuela)/Rachel Muller(North Andover, Mass.) battled hard at No. 1 and No. 2 doubles, respectively, before losing by 8-6 at No. 1 and 8-5 and No. 2. The freshman combination of Danielle Dunn(Middleton, Mass.) and Mackenzie Blair (Thomaston, Conn.) dropped the match at No. 3 doubles, 8-0.

The Warriors were unable to collect a point during singles play. At No. 2-5 singles, the Warriors lost in straight sets. At No. 1, Grace Messina battled the eighth-ranked player in the country, taking her to a third-set tiebreak. Messina won the second set, 7-6 (7-2), before falling in the final frame by the same 7-6 score with the tiebreak going in favor of Concordia at 9-7.

Rachel Muller participated at No. 6 singles, winning the first set by a score of 6-3, she dropped the second frame and lost the final set, 1-0, losing out to the lone point on a 10-4 game score.

Results
Doubles
1. Romana Tabak/Costanza Mecchi  (CON) def. Grace Messina/Chealsey Giatrelis  (MER) 6-8
2. Huai-Hsuan Huang/Alla Kravchuk (CON) def. Rachel Muller/Shakee Messina  (MER) 5-8
3. Linda Eliasson/Stefanie Canals-Bake (CON) def. Danielle Dunn/Mackenzie Blair (MER) 0-8

Singles
1. Romana Tabak (CON) def. Grace Messina (MER) 4-6, 7-6 (7-2), 6-7 (7-9)
2. Costanza Mecchi  (CON) def. Chealsey Giatrelis (MER) 0-6, 0-6
3. Huai-Hsuan Huang (CON) def. Shakee Messina (MER) 3-6, 2-6
4. Linda Eliasson (CON) def. Danielle Dunn (MER) 0-6, 1-6
5. Stefanie Canals-Bake (CON) def. Mackenzie Blair (MER) 2-6, 0-6
6. Valerie Chaban (CON) def. Rachel Muller (MER) 6-3, 0-6, 0-1 (4-10)

Up Next
The Warriors return to action tomorrow evening, when they host Division I Siena College from the Northeast Tennis Center in Middleton, Mass. at 5 p.m.