After 5 1/2 hours of tennis, BU sophomore Jenn Naegeli finished off an inspired comeback at fifth singles to highlight the women’s tennis team’s long weekend.
With the match against Quinnipiac tied at three points apiece, Naegeli erased a 4-1 deficit in the decisive third set to earn a 6-3, 4-6, 7-6 (3) victory. The sophomore improved her record for the year to 9-6 with the dramatic win.
The doubles point was once again crucial, as the Bearcats earned victories at the second and third spots. At the top of the lineup, junior Zeynep Altinay suffered a rare loss to Quinnipiac’s Gabby Pasternak, who improved her career record to 5-0 against the Bearcats. Pasternak, who also won her doubles match, had two singles wins and one doubles win against BU in 2003.
“[Altinay is] great,” Pasternak said. “I lost to her at ITAs in the fall and really had to step up my game a lot [Sunday] to win.”
On Saturday, the Bearcats fell 4-3 to UMass. Newcomer Juliana Ukemi, who just came to Binghamton this semester, picked up a 6-0, 6-4 win at third singles, and junior Lya Kushnirovich earned a victory at the fourth spot. The Bearcats (2-3) will next take on St. Bonaventure on Saturday, and their first home match is April 2 against Hartford.