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Posted: Oct 12, 2019

Estes Fights Off Match Point To Lift Women's Tennis Past Sarah Lawrence, 5-4

Estes Fights Off Match Point To Lift Women's Tennis Past Sarah Lawrence, 5-4
Box Score
Team Stats
Doubles
Hartwig, Ashleigh / Estes, Katie (SJCBK)
def. Ruth Doberenz / Isabella Hardman (SLC)
8-3
Sarah Ashdown / Minami Shimamura (SLC)
def. Velez, Valentina / Alva, Daniella (SJCBK)
8-6
Raven Vance / Eleanor Ryan (SLC)
def. Garcia, Jennifer / Mecham, Jaden (SJCBK)
8-5
Singles
Hartwig, Ashleigh (SJCBK)
def. Isabella Hardman (SLC)
6-2, 6-3
Velez, Valentina (SJCBK)
def. Ruth Doberenz (SLC)
6-4, 6-2
Estes, Katie (SJCBK)
def. Sarah Ashdown (SLC)
1-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-0)
Minami Shimamura (SLC)
def. Alva, Daniella (SJCBK)
6-4, 4-6, 1-0 (10-0)
Garcia, Jennifer (SJCBK)
def. Jillian Price (SLC)
3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (7-0)
Audrey Stathakis (SLC)
def. Mecham, Jaden (SJCBK)
6-2, 7-6 (5-0)

BRONXVILLE, N.Y. — Junior Katie Estes (Richmond, Vt./Mt. Mansfield Union) delivered the deciding point in a third-set super-tiebreaker to lift the St. Joseph's College (Brooklyn) women's tennis team to a 5-4 Skyline Conference triumph over Sarah Lawrence College on Saturday afternoon. 

Estes and sophomore Ashleigh Hartwig (Santee, Calif./West Hills) were victorious in both their matches on the afternoon as the Bears (3-6, 1-3 Skyline) picked up their first conference win of the season. In a highly-contested affair, three of the six singles matches went to a third-set super-tiebreaker.

How it Happened

The Gryphons (0-10, 0-5) led 2-1 after the doubles session with Hartwig and Estes teaming up for a comfortable 8-3 win in the No. 1 position.

Hartwig scored a straight-set 6-2, 6-3 win in the top singles match to knot the match at 2-all and senior Jennifer Garcia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Loughlin) rallied after dropping the opening set to win in a super-tiebreaker at No. 5 singles, 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (7), putting SJC up 3-2.

The hosts leveled the match again at 3-all taking the No. 6 singles match with Jaden Mecham (West Jordan, Utah/Copper Hills) battling in a close match in her collegiate debut before falling, 6-3, 7-6 (5).

Senior Valentina Velez Valencia (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bishop Kearney) closed out a straight-set win at No. 2 singles, 6-4, 6-2 to put the Bears up again. With a chance to clinch the overall victory, classmate Daniella Alva (Brooklyn, N.Y./ Bishop Kearney) played a hard-fought match before falling in three sets, 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (10).

The overall match tied at 4-all, all eyes turned to the No. 3 singles match where Estes rebounded after dropping the first set and took a big lead in the super-tiebreaker only to see Sarah Ashdown rally to earn a match point. Estes fought off the match point and won the next two points to close out the comeback, 1-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10), and clinch the match for the navy and gray.

Next Up

The Bears return home to celebrate Senior Night on Tuesday, October 15 hosting sibling rivals SJC Long Island in a Skyline Conference match at the USTA National Tennis Center starting at 7 p.m.