WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. – The Sacred Heart University women's tennis team opened their dual season with a 7-0 shutout of Monmouth on Tuesday afternoon. After sweeping doubles, the Pioneers would go on to only drop a total of 13 games in singles play.
The pair of Katie DeRienzo and Lindsey Post opened doubles play with a tiebreak victory over Adriana Armendariz and Farrah Smoke 8-7 (6). The Pioneers clinched the point when Paige Olson and freshman Sabrina Navarro Lopez picked up an 8-3 victory in their match. The freshman pair of Emma Pezzullo and Claudia Ruiz made it a doubles sweep as they won 8-6.
Three days after reaching the semifinals of the St. Joseph's Invitational, DeRienzo began her dual season by defeating Armendariz 6-2, 6-2 in number one singles. With the win, she now has a team-high 10 victories on the year going 5-2 in singles and 5-4 in doubles.
Playing in their first career collegiate dual match, Pezzullo and Ruiz both swept their opponent 6-0, 6-0. Post would also add a 6-0, 6-0 sweep in second singles. Rounding out singles play for the Pioneers was Olson, who won at 3rd singles 6-2, 6-1, and Taylor Gurda, who picked up a 6-1, 7-5 victory in 4th singles.
SHU will return to action next Wednesday as they host Quinnipiac at 3 pm in their only other dual match of the fall season.
