WEST POINT – Army rebounded from losing two of three doubles matches to sweep all six singles bouts on its way to a 6-1 win over St. John’s in the second match of a doubleheader at Lichtenberg Tennis Center on Tuesday night.
Army extended its win streak to eight and improved to 16-4 on the season.
The Black Knights’ lone win at doubles came by way of the top flight, as junior Niki Flach and freshman Anne Houghton won their second doubles match of the day, 8-1, and third straight overall.
Houghton kept the Black Knights’ momentum rolling and was the first to record a singles victory, as she topped Maria Zivcicova, 6-4, 6-2, in the first slot. The rest of the team followed suit, as junior Kristin Beehler (No. 2), freshman Caitlin Finnegan (3), senior co-captain Diana Alquero (4), sophomore Paige Ford (5) and freshman Robie Verano (6) all collected wins.
Finnegan and Alquero entertained the most contested matches of the battle, but neither went to three sets. After posting a 6-1 victory in the first set, Finnegan gutted out a 7-3 win in the tiebreaker to secure her ninth win in the last 10 matches. After dropping a tight 4-6 first set, Alquero came roaring back and remained seemingly in control of a 5-0 advantage in the second. At that point, her opponent, Mariana Chachua, forfeited as a result of a nagging ankle injury in order to avoid the impending tiebreaker.
Verano’s win over Ashley Harper at six singles avenged a loss from early October for the freshman Black Knight. The two met in the Flight E consolation round of the National Tennis Center Invitational in Flushing, N.Y. Harper won that match, but Verano cruised to a 6-2, 6-1 win on Tuesday night.
After a 10-day hiatus for Spring Break, the Black Knights return to the court with a pair of non-conference road matches against the tennis-rich Ivy League. Army visits Brown on Friday, March 28, and Dartmouth at noon the following afternoon.
Army 6
St. John’s 1
Doubles
1. Niki Flach/Anne Houghton (A) def. Maria Zivcicova/Ira Aleksova (S), 8-1
2. Emily Barnett/Ashley Harper (S) def. Christine Limsiaco/Bridie Burke (A), 8-5
3. Mariana Chachua/Jenny Yonkus (S) def. Sarah Giles-Madden/Diana Alquero (A), 9-7
Singles
1. Anne Houghton (A) def. Maria Zivcicova (S), 6-4, 6-2
2. Kristin Beehler (A) def. Emily Barnett (S), 6-1, 6-3
3. Caitlin Finnegan (A) def. Ira Aleksova (S), 6-1, 7-6 (7-3)
4. Diana Alquero (A) def. Mariana Chachua (S), 4-6, 5-0 (def.)
5. Paige Ford (A) def. Jenny Yonkus (S), 6-4, 6-3
6. Robie Verano (A) def. Ashley Harper (S), 6-3, 6-1
