HOBOKEN, N.J. (October 2, 2016) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's tennis team took over sole possession of second place in the Empire 8 Sunday after an 8-1 win over Hartwick in Hoboken. 

The win moved Stevens to 7-1 (6-1), while Hartwick fell to 7-2 (4-2).

Stevens opened a large lead early thanks to another sweep of doubles, the sixth of the season and fifth in-a-row. Sophomores Jill Hadwen and Julia Earl got Stevens off on the right foot with an 8-1 win at third, followed by an 8-3 win at first for senior Alexis Connor and freshman Isabella Calandra. 

Combined, the two Stevens teams are 13-3 this fall.

Junior Katrina Guido and sophomore Sydney Zoretic completed the sweep soon after with an 8-5 win at second for that pair's seventh win of the season.

Calandra continued the momentum with a 6-2, 6-4 win at fourth, followed by Connor's 6-4, 6-1 win at first. Freshman Nicole Badalyan clinched the match after that with a 6-4, 6-3 win at sixth, before Hartwick grabbed its only point with a win at third. 

Guido and senior Jillian Morneau completed the day with wins at second and fifth respectively, each bouncing back from a second-set loss to take the third in a tiebreaker. 

The Ducks will wrap up their regular season Saturday when they travel to Elmira for a noon match. 

From head coach Steve Gachko:
"Our performance this weekend in the big moments will hopefully pay dividends later this season in postseason play. We're playing with a lot of confidence right now, and our girls are fighting for each other better than ever. I couldn't be more proud of our team chemistry at this moment, and I'm confident it will continue to grow after these two big conference wins."

1. Alexis Connor/Isabella Calandra (STEVENS) def. Heidi Rice/Rose Natoli (HARTWICK) 8-3
2. Katrina Guido/Sydney Zoretic (STEVENS) def. Kelli Ryan/Kelly Napolitano (HARTWICK) 8-5
3. Jill Hadwen/Julia Earl (STEVENS) def. Caitlin O'Brien/Jaclyn LaSita (HARTWICK) 8-1

1. Alexis Connor (STEVENS) def. Heidi Rice (HARTWICK) 6-4, 6-1
2. Katrina Guido (STEVENS) def. Rose Natoli (HARTWICK) 6-4, 3-6, 10-4
3. Kelly Napolitano (HARTWICK) def. Sydney Zoretic (STEVENS) 2-6, 6-0, 6-3
4. Isabella Calandra (STEVENS) def. Kelli Ryan (HARTWICK) 6-2, 6-4
5. Jillian Morneau (STEVENS) def. Caitlin O'Brien (HARTWICK) 7-5, 2-6, 11-9
6. Nicole Badalyan (STEVENS) def. Jaclyn LaSita (HARTWICK) 6-4, 6-3

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