BY: CONNOR DOYLE (CPDOYLE@smcm.edu)

Salisbury, Md. – The St. Mary's College of Maryland women's tennis team took on regionally-ranked Salisbury University Saturday afternoon on the Eastern Shore and dropped a 7-2 decision in their Capital Athletic Conference regular-season finale.

The day began with doubles play and the Sea Gulls (12-4, 4-2 CAC), who are ranked ninth in the Atlantic South region, came out hot, winning both the No. 1 and No. 2 doubles matches for an early 2-0 advantage.

The Seahawks (7-8, 4-3 CAC) stopped the early run when seniors Anna Passaniti (Hereford, Md./Hereford) and Mollie Johnson (Hagerstown, Md./North Hagerstown) captured the sole doubles point, defeating SU's first-year Taylor Cooper (Catonsville, Md./Catonsville) and senior Megan Knapp (Salisbury, Md./Parkside) by an 8-6 tally for their second straight win.

As the match moved into singles play, Salisbury staked a 7-1 lead after claiming wins at the No. 4, No. 3, No. 5, No. 2, and No. 6 singles matches. Sophomore Melissa Barall (Columbia, Md./Wilde Lake) put a stop to the run by rallying to defeat senior Natalie Savage (Port Murray, N.J./Warren Hills), who is ranked No. 12 in the region, at No. 1 singles. Savage notched a 6-2 win in the first set but Barall with a 6-2 win in the second set and then followed that up with a 10-8 victory in the tie-breaker set.

The Seahawks will take to the courts next tomorrow, Sunday, April 10 at 1:00 p.m., hosting Stevenson University on Senior Day at the Somerset Tennis Complex.

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