#3 Bay Path Upsets #2 Becker Advancing to 2012 NECC Championship Match

LEICESTER, MASS. –#3 Bay Path ended #2 Becker's season on Wednesday evening in a 5-4 loss at home to conference foe the Hawks at the Leicester Tennis Courts. The Wildcats and the Hawks have both shared the last four New England Collegiate Conference Championships with this being the first season the title is won during Tournament Play. The Hawks end their season with a 10-7 record. The Wildcats move on to the finals with a 12-5 mark facing the #1 seed Regis College.

The Regis Pride defeated the #4 Newbury College Nighthawks 6-3 on Wednesday night in the New England Collegiate Conference Women's Tennis Semifinals. The Pride (12-1) advances to their first ever NECC Championship match on Saturday afternoon. Newbury wraps up the year at 6-10 overall.

Sophomore Nicole Connolly (Scarborough, Maine) finished her outstanding season with a 6-1, 6-0 win at number one singles, after teaming with freshman Kathleen Razzaboni (Hooksett, N.H.) for an 8-2 victory at number one doubles. Razzaboni won a marathon match at number two singles, 7-6, 6-8, 6-2.

Junior Shauna Buckley (Danvers, Mass.) had a 6-1, 6-0 win at number six singles.

Bay Path countered, however, with outstanding play at number two and three doubles.  Junior Teanna Montoya (Edgartown, Mass.) and sophomore Abigail Janneke (Waterbury, Conn.) won 8-4 at number two doubles, while freshmen Brittany Walsh(North Smithfield, R.I.) and Taylor Wood (Castleton, N.Y.) had a fight to the finish in an 8-8 (10-9) win for the Wildcats.

Walsh followed up with a 6-2, 6-0 win at number three singles with Montoya won 6-1, 6-1 at number four. In the deciding match of the day, Wood faced Becker freshman Kerry Saltvick (Bakersfield Calif.) at number five singles. Both first year players gave it their all, with Wood ultimately prevailing 7-5, 6-3 as Bay Path moved on.

Becker shared the 2010-11 championship with Bay Path, who won the tournament in its inaugural season in 2008. The two programs have combined to win the conference championship every year of its existence.

Bay Path travels to Regis on Saturday to face the Pride at a 1:00 p.m. start in Weston, Mass.