WEST WINDSOR, N.J. – The Sacred Heart women's tennis team's season came to an end at the hands of Fairleigh Dickinson for the second year in a row, this time in the semifinals of the 2016 Northeast Conference Championships on Saturday afternoon at the Mercer County Tennis Center.

Claudia Ruiz earned Sacred Heart's lone point and went a perfect 2-0 as the third seeded Pioneers end their campaign at an even .500, 10-10. SHU's ten victories are its most since the 2011 campaign and the semifinal appearance is the first since 2013.

Play began with three lopsided doubles matches, two of which were won by second seeded FDU. Ruiz and partner Olivia Podsibierski end the year by improving their third doubles record to 6-3, tied for second most wins in the NEC, after sweeping their opponents. Sacred Heart could win just two games total in the two other matches though.

Ruiz then managed to momentarily tie things up at 1-1 after sweeping sixth singles for her sixth victory at the sixth spot, also tied for second most in the league. The win also put her at an even .500 in dual at 8-8 in dual play, but SHU could not manage to put any more pressure on the Knights.

Podsibierski came closest to doing so at the third position, as her match was in a third set before play was stopped following Fairleigh Dickinson clinching the spot in the finals with the fourth point.

Also in a tightly contested unfinished match was Paige Olson, who battled with her second singles competitor through a 7-5 first set before competition was called with the score 4-5 in the second. Lindsey Post bounced back from a 2-6 first only to fall in a second set tiebreaker at the fourth spot.

Singles

Doubles