New Haven, Conn. – It was a record-setting regular season for the Albertus Magnus College women's tennis team this fall and the Falcons hope that success carries over into post-season this week. The team finished the year with a program-best 8-5 overall mark and enter the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Tournament as the No. 5 seed thanks to going 2-4 in league matches.
Albertus Magnus will travel to face in-state rival and No. 4 seed St. Joseph on Wednesday, October 21, at 3:15 pm in the first round. The Falcons are marking their second appearance in the post-season event with their trip coming in 2013. AMC will look to avenge a 7-2 defeat at the hands of Blue Jays earlier this season. In that tilt, the Falcon duo of freshman Izzy Sabino (Cheshire, Conn.) and sophomore Kelsea Wildman (Hamden, Conn.) netted an 8-6 victory at No. 2 doubles, while freshman Alicia Weaver (Bethel, Conn.) earned the other Albertus point with a straight set win at No. 2 singles.
The team enters the conference tournament riding a two-match road winning streak courtesy of a 6-3 win at Anna Maria on Saturday and a 9-0 triumph against New Rochelle yesterday, October 18.
In doubles play, the tandem of Sabino and Wildman partnered for a team-leading nine wins, highlighted by a six-match winning streak in the middle of the year, after competing at No. 2 all season. The duo also had a team-best three wins in conference action. Weaver and junior Zaida Velazco (Dominican Republic) have teamed for six wins at No. 1 doubles.
Velazco and Sabino tied for the team-lead with nine singles victories apiece competing at No. 1 and No. 3, respectively. Both student-athletes posted a 2-4 record in GNAC play and a perfect 7-0 mark in non-conference tilts. Earlier this season, Velazco was named the GNAC Corvais Women's Tennis Player of the Week. Weaver had a strong freshman campaign in singles action competing at No. 2, registering seven wins, two of which came in league play. At No. 4, Wildman finished with eight wins thanks to an impressive 6-1 record in out of league matches.
In a year of firsts for the team, the Falcons will look for their first-ever GNAC Tournament on Wednesday afternoon.
