EWING, N.J. – The streak continues.
The TCNJ women's tennis team cruised past New Jersey City, 5-0, in the NJAC championship match on Saturday to extend their run of conference titles to 39 in a row and clinch the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The Lions own the longest known conference streak in the nation, at any level and for any sport.
The second-seeded Gothic Knights (8-7) were dealt a major blow before the match, when their No. 2 player was ruled out. That gave the Lions (16-2) a free win at No. 3 doubles.
Chase Eisenberg and Alex Vasile quickly doubled the advantage with an 8-1 victory over Vanshita Malhotra and Mila Gligorov at No. 2, and
Charlotte Roarty and
Jenny Landells were close on their heels with an 8-2 win against Giada and Sara Zorzan on the top court.
With NJCU only bringing six players, Landells received a win by default at No. 6 singles. That left just one court for the Lions to clinch the title, and Roarty did the honors. The two-time NJAC player of the year soared past Giada Zorzan by a 6-2, 6-2 count to set off a celebration and ensure that the program's one-of-a-kind streak will last at least another year.
Vasile was a game away from ending her match with a 6-1, 5-4 lead on Gligorov at No. 3 singles. Eisenberg held a 6-3, 2-1 advantage at No. 5.
Abalos (7-5) and Rangu (7-6) had just wrapped up tight first-set wins on courts No. 2 and No. 4, respectively, when Roarty's clinching point took place.
The Lions now await their NCAA Tournament matchup. The bracket will be announced in an NCAA.com press release on May 9.