Smilovich, Alexander capture singles victories

RINDGE, N.H. (March 26, 2011) – Senior Lauren Smilovich (Meriden, Conn.) and junior Drew Alexander (Long Beach, N.Y.) collected wins at third and fourth singles, respectively, on Saturday afternoon, but the Franklin Pierce University women's tennis team was defeated in the first match of the spring portion of its campaign, 6-3, by Le Moyne.

With the loss, Franklin Pierce falls to 0-7 (0-7 Northeast-10), while Le Moyne improves to 2-8 (2-5 Northeast-10). Teams in the Northeast-10 play a portion of their schedule in the fall before completing the season in the spring.

Franklin Pierce opened the match on a strong note, as junior Kaitlin Krolikowski (Massapequa, N.Y.) and freshman Natasha McCarthy (Rindge, N.H.) ran away with an 8-3 victory at first doubles over Le Moyne junior Caroline Tisdell and sophomore Rebecca Black. At second doubles, Smilovich and Alexander hung tight with Le Moyne senior Megan Andolina and junior Elizabeth Rhode, but ultimately fell, 8-6.

In singles play, Alexander in particular was dominant in fourth singles, as she only dropped a pair of games in a 6-1, 6-1 win over Andolina. At third singles, Smilovich squeaked out the first set, 7-5, before sweeping the second set at 6-0 to take the match. Elsewhere, Krolikowski squared off with Tisdell at first singles and opened with a 7-6 win in the first set, but was clipped, 6-4, in both the second and third sets.

For Le Moyne, freshman Kristine Kenny was the only player from either team to win in both doubles and singles play. She teamed with freshman Margaret Reagan to pick up an 8-3 win at third doubles before posting a 7-6 (7-5), 6-4 win at fifth singles.

The Ravens return to the court on Friday, April 1, when they square off with Pace in a neutral-site Northeast-10 Conference contest at 11 a.m. in East Hartford, Conn.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).

Results
Doubles
1. Kaitlin Krolikowski/Natasha McCarthy (FPU) def. Caroline Tisdell/Rebecca Black (LEM), 8-3
2. Megan Andolina/Elizabeth Rhode (LEM) def. Lauren Smilovich/Drew Alexander (FPU), 8-6
3. Kristine Kenny/Margaret Reagan (LEM) def. Nikki Chalifoux/Amy Carpenter (FPU), 8-3

Singles
1. Tisdell (LEM) def. Krolikowski (FPU), 6-7, 6-4, 6-4
2. Black (LEM) def. McCarthy (FPU), 6-4, 7-5
3. Smilovich (FPU) def. Rhode (LEM), 7-5, 6-0
4. Alexander (FPU) def. Andolina (LEM), 6-1, 6-1
5. Kenny (LEM) def. Chalifoux (FPU), 7-6 (7-5), 6-4
6. Kelly Falconer (LEM) def. Tina Bonelli (FPU), 6-2, 6-4