WEST POINT, N.Y. – Katie DeRienzo won all four of her matches as the Sacred Heart women's tennis team dropped its first two duals of the spring season over the weekend. The Pioneers first lost a 4-3 heartbreaker to Army West Point on Friday before dropping a 5-2 decision to Binghamton on Saturday.
Army West Point
The match began with three close double matches. SHU was able to win first doubles as the pair of DeRienzo and Sabrina Navarro Lopez moved to an even .500 on the year with a 6-3 victory. The Black Knights would earn the point though, narrowly defeating the teams of Paige Olson and Olivia Podsiebierski, and Lindsey Post and Taylor Gurda by identical scores of 6-4.
Moving onto singles, both teams won a match in straight sets, while the other four took three sets to determine a winner. Claudia Ruiz gave SHU its first point with a 7-6, 6-4 win at sixth singles.
Winning the three set battles were DeRienzo and Podsiebeirski, who both came back from an opening set defeat. DeRienzo did so at first singles for her team best fifth victory of the season, recovering from a 4-6 first set to win the final two, 6-4, 7-5. Podsiebeirski dropped the first set 5-7 before taking the second and third 6-4, 6-3 to improve to 3-2.
Post and Gurda were on the opposite sides of those three setters, both winning the first set only to drop the final two. At second singles, Post cruised to a sweep in the first before a narrow 5-7 defeat in the second. Unfortunately, towards the end of the third she was forced to retire due to injury. Gurda took a first set tiebreak only to fall 7-5, 6-2 in the second and third.
Singles
| 1. DeRIENZO, Katie (SHU) def. GUENARD (ARMY) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5 |
| 2. HAYLEY (ARMY) def. POST, Lindsey (SHU) 1-6, 7-5, retired |
| 3. McCORMICK (ARMY) def. OLSON, Paige (SHU) 6-0, 6-4 |
| 4. PODSIEBIERSKI, O. (SHU) def. SPIRTOS (ARMY) 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 |
| 5. PORTER (ARMY) def. GURDA, Taylor (SHU) 6-7, 7-5, 6-2 |
| 6. RUIZ, Claudia (SHU) def. MARTORELLI (ARMY) 7-6, 6-4 |
Doubles
| 1. NAVARRO, Sabrina/DeRIENZO, Katie (SHU) def. VALUNIATE/McCORMICK (ARMY) 6-4 |
| 2. PORTER/EINCK (ARMY) def. OLSON, Paige/PODSIEBIERSKI, O. (SHU) 6-4 |
| 3. PITMAN/O'CONNOR (ARMY) def. POST, Lindsey/GURDA, Taylor (SHU) 6-4 |
Binghamton
SHU built the momentum early by taking the doubles point, but it was all Binghamton in singles play.
DeReinzo and Navarro Lopez teamed to win their second match of the weekend and move above .500 by controlling play in a 6-2 final at first doubles. Post and Gurda then secured the point by holding off their opponents at third doubles, 7-5, in their first match of the season together.
It was DeRienzo who was the lone Pioneer to win in singles play, sweeping her first singles match 6-3, 6-0 for a sixth victory of the season.
For the consecutive day, Gurda was on the opposite side of a comeback after taking the first set, this one by a score of 7-5. She battled in tight second and third sets, but could not overcome her opponent by scores of 4-6 and 5-7. Also falling in three was Olson, who bounced back from a 6-1 opening set to take the second 6-4. The third set would see an identical score, 6-4, this one to Binghamton.
Singles
| 1. DeRIENZO, Katie (SHU) def. KOHTZ (BING) 6-0, 6-3 |
| 2. DiMURO (BING) def. POST, Lindsey (SHU) 6-3, 6-4 |
| 3. AMBROZY (BING) def. OLSON, Paige (SHU) 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 |
| 4. BRODSKY (BING) def. PODSIEBIERSKI, O. (SHU) 6-3, 6-3 |
| 5. OSTROVETSKY (BING) def. GURDA, Taylor (SHU) 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 |
| 6. TAFLER (BING) def. RUIZ, Claudia (SHU) 6-4, 6-4 |
Doubles
| 1. NAVARRO, Sabrina/DeRIENZO, Katie (SHU) def. BRODSKY/TASHIRO (BING) 6-2 |
| 2. AMBROZY/OSTROVETSKY (BING) def. OLSON, Paige/PODSIEBIERSKI, O. (SHU) 6-1 |
| 3. POST, Lindsey/GURDA, Taylor (SHU) def. KOHTZ/DiMURO (BING) 7-5 |
The Pioneers take two weeks off before returning to the courts to host Drexel at Yale on Saturday, February 13 at Yale.
