Freshman Kristen Liu and the Stags clinched the MAAC Championships this past weekend in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. Peter Caty/The Mirror
Last week women’s tennis head coach Ed Paige said that for his team to win in the MAAC championships, it would take an error-free performance. The Stags did just that.
Now, for the eighth time in program history, Fairfield will make a trip to the NCAA tournament, its first since the 2004 squad lost to Washington in the first round.
Fairfield defeated Saint Peter’s in the first round, Loyola in the second round and Niagara in the finals at the tournament in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
The Stags were led by junior Paulina Rys, who was named the Most Outstanding Player after a 3-0 performance in doubles and a 2-0 performance in singles.
Rys said that winning was ‘the most amazing feeling, I can’t describe it. It came down to two matches, myself and Dana Postupack.’
While Rys was ahead 5-3 in the third set of her match, her classmate Postupack defeated her opponent to win the championship.
‘It was very tough. I knew she was close to the end and the crowd was behind her,’ Rys said. ‘I couldn’t see the score, but I could tell from the crowd. There was a lot of yelling and jumping when she won.’
Also, winning matches on the day were junior Gretchen Amberg, who finished the season 16-0 and freshman Kristen Liu. Rys and sophomore Alyssa Ruiz had their matches stopped when Postupack clinched the victory.
Rys said that last year’s loss to Marist in the finals motivated the team to rebound with a victory this year.
‘Last year we saw the final. The loss last year made us know we are a good team,’ Rys said. ‘We had to work harder. I’m really proud of our team, everyone really believed, that was what was so great about our team.’
The Stags defeated St. Peter’s 7-0, and then Loyola 4-3 in the semifinals. Fairfield finished the season with a 16-4 record and will now wait until April 28, when the bracket for the NCAA tournament will be announced live on ESPNnews.
‘I had a couple of goals entering a Division I school, but my number one goal was getting to see the NCAA tournament,’ Rys said. ‘That is a tournament where only 64 teams are selected and there are hundreds of teams. It is a privilege and a honor.’
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