QUINCY, Mass. – For the second match in a row, junior Sam Webb (Duxbury, Mass.) clinched a victory for the Wentworth Institute of Technology women's tennis team. Her 8-2 win at No. 4 singles snapped a 4-all tie as darkness crept in and led the Leopards to a 5-4 victory over the University of St. Joseph in Wentworth's regular-season finale.
With the win the Leopards improve to 4-9 on the season while the Blue Jays fall to 4-6.
USJ led 2-1 after doubles play, taking wins at No. 1 and No. 3. At No. 1, senior Rebecca Mauri (Meriden, Conn.) and sophomore Lucy Roberge (Willington, Conn.) defeated Webb and junior Caitlyn Briggs (Lee, Mass.), 8-2. Sophomore Leah Nguyen (West Hartford, Conn.) and freshman Dominique Carnot (Meriden, Conn.) defeated sophomores Ellen Butts (Brookfield, Conn.) and Veronica Monteiro (North Andover, Mass.), 6-6, at No.3. Wentworth got on the scoreboard with an 8-6 win at No. 2 doubles as freshman Olivia DeLuca (Dracut, Mass.) teamed with junior Emily Jodoin (Burrillville, R.I.) to defeat sophomore Ashley Savino (Old Saybrook, Conn.) and junior Tara Smith (Palmer, Mass.).
Roberge defeated DeLuca, 6-4, 6-1 at No. 2 to give the Blue Jays a 3-1 lead. Jodoin bested Savino, 6-4, 6-0, at No. 3 and Briggs battled to a 6-2, 3-6, 10-8 win over Mauri at No. 1 to even the match at 3-all. After dropping the first set 6-7 (4-7), Monteiro rallied to take the next two sets 6-0, 10-8, at No. 6 and gave Wentworth a 4-3 lead. However, Nguyen used a 6-7 (4-7), 6-3, 5-2 (darkness-shortened tiebreaker) victory over Butts at No. 5, setting the stage for a winner-take-all No. 4 singles match.
With darkness creeping in, the format was changed to an eight-point pro set and Webb gave the hosts ther second straight win with her triumph over Smith.
Wentworth will be seeded sixth in the upcoming Commonwealth Coast Conference Tournament and will travel to a third-seeded opponent to be determined for an opening-round match on Wednesday.