Lancers Drop LEC Semifinal Match to No. 1 Bridgewater State, 5-2

BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Worcester State women's tennis team's season concluded on Thursday (Oct. 20) as the Lancers lost a heartbreaking match to the Bridgewater State Bears 5-2 in a Little East Conference (LEC) semifinal game at the Rosen Memorial Tennis Courts.

"The girls wore their hearts on their sleeves today," commented head coach Courteney Blais.  "You could feel the excitement the second they stepped on the court today."

Worcester State notched one doubles win to begin the afternoon when senior Shelby Jankins (W. Brookfield, Mass.) and sophomore Nathalie Khafaga (Auburn, Mass.) defeated Bridgewater's Alisha Silva (Taunton, Mass.) and Amanda Strickland (Plymouth, Mass.) 8-6.

"Our No. 1 doubles team had an incredible win," said Blais. "The Bears couldn't get anything past Nathalie up at net and Shelby was hitting all her winning shots down the line and cross court."

Bridgewater took the lead 2-1 going into singles as Bojana Roman (Somerset, Mass.) and Alison Scagnelli (Sutton, Mass.) downed Rachel Green (Worcester, Mass.) and Alexis Silk (Greenfield, Mass.) 8-0, and Rachel Tarantino (Mansfield, Mass.) and Angelique Gray (Osterville, Mass.) defeated the freshman duo of Lauren Taylor (Attleboro, Mass.) and Isabel Badeau (Cumberland, R.I.) 8-4.

"No. 2 and No. 3 doubles put up a fight, but their efforts just came up short," explained Blais.

Bridgewater State began singles plays with two wins at the No. 1 and No. 2 flights when Silva defeated Jankins 6-2, 6-1 and Roman topped Taylor 6-0, 6-2. However, Green came back with a singles win at the No. 5 slot defeating Tarantino 6-0, 6-2 to keep the Lancers in the game.

"Singles was nerve wrecking," expressed Blais.  "Lauren and Shelby lost hard fought battles in singles, while Rachel has a speedy and confident win."

It came down to the final three matches as the Bears led 4-2 halfway through singles. Unfortunately, the Bears scored the next point when Gray saw a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Badeau.

"Lex and Nathalie won their first sets and there was a huge shift in momentum for the Lancers, however, they did not get a chance to close out their matches because of the decision," said Blais. "Isabel battled every point and never gave up, but Bridgewater ended up on top."

The Lancers conclude their regular season at 7-7, and marked a 4-4 LEC record prior to tournament play.

"Even though the match didn't go in our favor, the overall season was a huge success," concluded Blais.

Singles Competition

1. Alisha Silva (BSU) def. Shelby Jankins (WOR) 6-2, 6-1
2. Bojana Roman (BSU) def. Lauren Taylor (WOR) 6-0, 6-2
3. Alison Scagnelli (BSU) vs. Alexis Silk (WOR) 3-6, 0-3, unfinished
4. Amanda Strickland (BSU) vs. Nathalie Khafaga (WOR) 5-7, 6-2, 1-1, unfinished
5. Rachel Green (WOR) def. Rachel Tarantino (BSU) 6-0, 6-2
6. Angelique Gray (BSU) def. Isabel Badeau (WOR) 6-2, 6-4

Doubles Competition

1. Shelby Jankins/Nathalie Khafaga (WOR) def. Alisha Silva/Amanda Strickland (BSU) 8-6
2. Bojana Roman/Alison Scagnelli (BSU) def. Rachel Green/Alexis Silk (WOR) 8-0
3. Rachel Tarantino/Angelique Gray (BSU) def. Lauren Taylor/Isabel Badeau (WOR) 8-4