WEST POINT, N.Y. (3/9/09) -   The Colgate women's tennis team opened Patriot League play this weekend, falling to Army, 7-0, on Sunday afternoon at the Lichtenberg Tennis Center.

The Raiders, who finished the weekend 0-3 at West Point, drop to 5-6 overall and 0-1 in conference play.  The Black Knights, who were selected as the Patriot League preseason favorite, improve to 11-7 overall and 1-0 in the league while extending their winning streak to nine games. 

Highlighting the Raiders matches were Elise DeRose (Williamsville, N.Y.) and Cameron Williams (Winnetka, Ill.) at first doubles and Erin Fenn (Evanston, Ill.) at third singles.  DeRose and Williams fought hard against Army's top duo of Niki Flach and Michael Tollerton, who outlasted the Raiders for an 8-5 win.  Fenn battled the Black Knight's Sarah Giles-Madden, winning the first set 6-3, before dropping the second 2-6 and a close third set 6-10. 

Fenn and Cameron Thaney (Rochester, N.Y.) were blanked at second doubles, 8-0, by Army's Anne Houghton and Kristin Beehler.  Alexandra Erickson (Minnetonka, Minn.) and Stephanie Brown (Mendham, N.J.) rounded out the doubles action, falling to Giles-Madden and Caitlin Finnegan, 8-2.

In singles action, Houghton downed DeRose 6-3, 6-0, at first singles.  Flach defeated Erickson 6-0, 6-2 at second singles, while Beehler dropped Williams in the No. 4 spot, 6-0, 6-1.  Tollerton defeated Thaney at fifth singles, 6-1, 6-3, and Jackie Stimmel (Saratoga Springs, N.Y.) lost the No. 6 spot, 6-1, 6-0 to Finnegan. 

"It was a very tough, humbling, exhausting weekend for the girls,” stated head coach Bobby Pennington.  “We lost back to back heartbreakers, in which we were points away from winning both matches. Today we got outplayed by the best team in the league."

Colgate 0

Army 7

Doubles:
Flach/Tolledo def Williams/DeRose 8-5
Houghton/Beehler def. Fenn/Thaney 8-0
Giles-Madden/Finnegan def. Brown/Erickson 8-2

Singles:
Houghton def. Elise DeRose 6-3,6-0
Flach def. Alexandra Erickson 6-0,6-2
Giles-Madden def. Erin Fenn 3-6,6-2,10-6
Beehler def. Cameron Williams 6-0,6-1
Tolledo def. Cameron Thaney 6-1,6-3
Finnegan def. Jackie Stimmel 6-1,6-0