The Fairfield University women’s tennis team closed out their regular season schedule on Saturday, April 13, taking on Quinnipiac University at the Walsh Athletic Center Tennis Courts.
The Stags came into the contest red hot, winning their previous six prior to their date with the Bobcats. On the other hand, Quinnipiac had a lengthy winning streak of their own, snagging sixteen consecutive Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference victories dating back to the spring of 2022, when the Stags ironically also prevailed over the Bobcats.
The Stags made their presence felt early on, taking the doubles point in a back-and-forth first set. After a Quinnipiac triumph in the second set, the Stags refueled with much-needed resilience thanks to the help of their number three flight duo of graduate student Laina Campos and Nicolette Loeffler ‘27. Both the veteran and first-year were joined by the number one team of Sarah Liu ‘26 and Maeve Cassidy ‘27, roaring back from a 0-5 disadvantage to emerge victorious, 7-6.
The Stags continued to be a thorn in the Bobcats’ side as they moved into singles, Loeffler excelled in the number three spot, 6-1 and 6-4. Katrina Plumtree ‘24 prevailed at the number two spot, 6-1 and 7-5, and Cassidy snapped the Bobcats’ near two-year winnings streak at sixteen by winning 6-4 and 6-1 at the number one spot.
As a result of Cassidy’s victory, the Stags made program history by clinching their fifth MAAC regular season championship. This was the first regular season title under head coach Jeff Bricker, who is in his maiden voyage as the head of the women’s program.
Bricker was very pleased with his players’ performance.
“What a great fight from everyone today. The doubles point was huge as always and to come back from the 5-0 deficit was impressive,” Bricker says, according to the match’s official press release. “In singles, we came out with energy and battled on all six courts. I’m super happy for the team. They’ve worked hard all year. The job is not done though and they know we have to keep working hard. Winning the regular season title is a great accomplishment, and I’m very proud of them.”
The Stags are not quite finished yet. They will take on the fourth-ranked Siena College Saints as the conference’s number one seed at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 20 in the semifinals at the 2024 MAAC Women’s Championship in West Windsor, N.J., at the Mercer County Park Tennis Center. For more information on the Fairfield Stags’ tennis program, please visit www.fairfieldstags.com.
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