Tennis: Gut-wrenching end to brilliant season

The stifling Floridian heat, in excess of 85 degrees throughout most of the day, was a major factor in the Tigers’ fate. FIU was afforded the advantage of playing at nearby Coral Gables, Fla., and had been thriving in the hot weather as they rode a 13-game win streak over opponents in the Sun Belt Conference.

“I felt that we were very evenly matched with FIU at every position, and you can definitely see that in the scores. Honestly the biggest factor in the match was the extreme weather in Miami,” freshman Hilary Bartlett said. “You could definitely see that we weren’t as good in the heat in the deciding match at [the third spot], and at times I know I struggled to stay focused because of the heat in my own match.”

Bartlett, playing at the number-two position, was able to overcome the weather in picking up one of Princeton’s two single victories in straight sets. The weather gradually wore down the Tigers, as they got out to a fast start by capturing the doubles point on wins by the pair of freshman Lauren McHale and freshman Rachel Saiontz and the team of sophomore Rebecca Parks and junior Melissa Saiontz.

Princeton proceeded to get out to a fast 2-0 lead, as sophomore Blakely Ashley dispatched FIU’s Maria Vallasciani 6-1, 6-0 in what proved to be the easiest match of the day. Yet the lead was short-lived, as the Golden Panthers stormed back with straight-set wins at the fifth and first singles positions to tie the match at two.

Bartlett’s victory fittingly left Melissa and Rachel Saiontz, two Florida natives, a chance to capture Princeton’s first NCAA tournament victory. Rachel fell first, losing a tightly contested first set to a tiebreaker before falling 6-3 in the second set.

The final match of the day could hardly have been closer, as Melissa Saiontz forced a third set after winning the first set at the number three singles position. The extreme heat took its toll on Melissa as dehydration set in, and Maria Spenceley ultimately claimed the match 4-6, 6-4, 6-2.

Despite the agony of losing such a tight tournament game, the Tigers have much about the season to look back on with pride. Bartlett and sophomore Taylor Marable will participate in the NCAA tournament beginning May 20, and Princeton captured the Ivy League title and became only the third squad in Tiger history to advance to the NCAA tournament. The Tigers accomplished all this without having a single senior in the starting lineup.

“The team was certainly sad and frustrated that our season ended with such a close loss, but some of the older girls have been good about putting the result in perspective,” Bartlett said. “It’s awesome to be part of only the third Princeton women’s tennis team to make it to NCAAs in the history of the program and to have brought back the Ivy League title. We can look forward to a good year next year as well, with a good recruit coming in and no graduating seniors in the lineup.”