Women’s Tennis Set for CCC Semifinal Showdown at Nichols Tuesday
QUINCY, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's tennis team will travel to Nichols Tuesday afternoon for the program's first-ever Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament semifinal match.
THE BASICS:
Date/Time: 10/17/2017 | 2:30 pm
Location: Nichols College Tennis Courts | Dudley, Mass.
Live Stats: http://livestats.nichols.edu/wten/xlive.htm
RECORDS:
Eastern Nazarene sports a 10-5 overall record while Nichols is 12-2 on the year.
HOW THEY GOT HERE:
The Lions earned the No. 5 seed in the playoffs with a 4-4 mark while the Bison claimed the top seed with an undefeated 8-0 record in league play.
Eastern Nazarene topped fourth-seeded Gordon 5-2 in the quarterfinals to capture the program's first-ever playoff victory. Nichols reached the semifinal by way of a first-round bye.
FANTASTIC FIRSTS:
Eastern Nazarene's stellar season has yielded numerous milestones. The Lions win over Gordon marked their first-ever playoff victory as well as the first win over the Fighting Scots since 1996.
During the regular season, Eastern Nazarene defeated Salve Regina and Western New England for the first time in program history.
The Lions' 10 wins this fall mark the most in a single season since 1991. The program record for most wins in a single season was set in 1990 when the Crusaders rattled off a 12-0 record.
Eastern Nazarene set a new single-season record for conference wins in a season with four league victories en route to the team's highest-ever finish in the conference standings.
ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS:
Adele Duval and Emily Ruttkowski both garnered All-Commonwealth Coast Conference accolades this fall. Ruttkowski earned All-CCC second team honors in singles play while Duval received third team honors in singles. The duo combined to capture All-CCC third team accolades in doubles.
Duval became the second three-time All-CCC honoree in program history, joining Denise Mingledorff.
ENC vs. NICHOLS:
The two teams have met on the courts 22 times since 1994. Eastern Nazarene's lone win over Nichols came in 2003, a 9-0 decision.
In the 2017 regular-season meeting between the two teams, Nichols prevailed 6-2 at Eastern Nazarene. Sharon Biondi and Lindsey Steelman grabbed a 9-7 victory at the No. 2 doubles position and Emily Ruttkowsi claimed a straight-sets win at the No. 2 singles spot.
CCC TOURNAMENT HISTORY:
In the program's 42-year history, Eastern Nazarene has made the Commonwealth Coast Conference playoffs twice prior to this season. The Crusaders reached the CCC quarterfinals in 2003 and 2004, falling to Salve Regina both years.