Information Provided By Stonehill Sports Information


Easton, Mass. - Freshman Lindsay Simmons (Weathersfield, Conn.) gave Stonehill a come-from-behind 5-4 win over Queens with her 6-4, 5-7, 7-6 (7-4) victory at No. 6 singles to clinch the Skyhawks first ever NCAA East Regional title in a dramatic match on Friday afternoon.

In a match that lasted nearly three and a half hours in the sun, it was Simmons who kept her cool in helping Stonehill to the regional title. With the match tied at four wins apiece Simmons and Queens Knight Kirby Reiss were the deciding point at No. 6 singles. After taking the first set, Simmons dropped the second and fell behind 5-4 in the third.

The freshman fought back to even it at 5-5 and after dropping a point to fall behind 6-5, sent the match into a tie breaker. In the tiebreaker, Simmons and Reiss traded points and were even at four all before Simmons won the final three points for the victory.

The Skyhawks started the day off in promising fashion, taking an 8-1 win at No. 1 doubles behind the play of sophomore Lindsey Herchel (Hampden, Mass.) and freshman Amy Toegemann (Narragansett, R.I.). The duo of Sarah Hickey (Lee, Mass.) and sophomore Emily Broderick (Middlebury, Conn.) also won at No. 3 doubles, 8-6 for the early 2-1 lead.

In singles play, Queens claimed a win at No. 1 singles to even it up at 2-2 and won again at No. 4 to go ahead 3-2. A win by Hickey at No. 5 singles (6-1, 6-0) made it three all but Toegemann's loss at No. 2 gave the Knights a 4-3 advantage.

Freshman Leah White (East Walpole, Mass.) came away with a three set victory at No. 3 singles, 6-2, 3-6, 6-4, to even it up before Simmons finished off Reiss for the Stonehill victory.

Head coach Pam Arpe was pleased with how her freshman approached their final matches "I think what has been our strength all along is the fact that we have freshman who not only have tennis skills but are mentally tough as well."

The Skyhawks improve to a school record 21-3 with the win and return to action on Wednesday, May 13 when they play at Rollins College as one of 16 teams to make the NCAA Division II national quarterfinals.