NEW PALTZ, N.Y. (April 9, 2008) – Senior Dana Bacalla closed out her storied collegiate career with a thrilling come-from-behind victory at first singles to record the clinching point as the Stevens Institute of Technology women's tennis team wrapped up the 2007-08 season with a 5-4 win over SUNY New Paltz on Wednesday in New Paltz, N.Y. Bacalla defeated junior Dana Lim (New City, N.Y.) by the score of 1-6, 6-2, 7-5 to break a 4-4 tie in the team score as the Ducks snapped their five-match losing streak. Bacalla's match was tied 5-all in the third set before she captured the final two games.
With the win, Stevens closed out the year with an overall record of 14-7. The 14 victories are the second-highest total in a season in program history. In 2000, the Ducks went 17-0. Wednesday's win also helped Stevens wipe away the memories of an 8-1 loss to the Red Hawks in their last meeting on April 12, 2006. New Paltz, which captured the State University of New York Athletic Conference title during the fall season, fell to 8-8 overall following its fifth-straight setback.
At first doubles, freshman Allyson Kingman and Bacalla dropped an 8-6 decision to senior Eri Yamakawa (Cortlandt Manor, N.Y.) and Lim. Juniors Whitney Bender and Rebecca Ryba responded with a 9-8 (7-3) win over sophomores Laura-Elizabeth Beirne (Moriches, N.Y.) and Lyndsey Lovinger (Miller Place, N.Y.) at No. 2 doubles. In the third-doubles match, sophomore Natalie Schloeder and freshman Kendra Appleheimer topped sophomore Kerri Serkes (Massapequa, N.Y.) and freshman Stephanie Schara (Huntington, N.Y.) by the final of 8-2.
Bacalla's victory at No. 1 singles raised her record to 22-2 this year. In the process, she tied Kari Munger's school record of 22 wins in a season, which she set in 2003-04. Bacalla also ended her career with an overall singles mark of 81-8. The 81 victories are the most of any player ever at Stevens.
At second singles, Bender fell behind by losing the first set but bounced back solidly to knock off Beirne by the score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-3. Yamakawa won a tough three-set match (6-3, 0-6, 6-2) against Kingman at No. 3 singles. Appleheimer was a straight-sets winner (6-3, 6-3) against Lovinger at fourth singles. Ryba lost to Serkes 6-1, 6-0 at No. 5 singles. Schara added a 6-2, 6-1 win over Schloeder at sixth singles for New Paltz.
Wednesday's match marked the end of the year for the Ducks. Stevens will return to action in the fall when it opens its second season in the Empire 8.
