Women's Tennis Falls to LIU in NEC Match

BROOKLYN, N.Y. - Chicago State University fell to Long Island University (LIU) 4-1 on Saturday. The Cougars secured a victory in the No. 1 singles match but could not overcome LIU's strong performance in both singles and doubles play.

Chicago State dropped the doubles point to LIU after matches concluded in quick succession. At No. 1 doubles, Mackenzie King and Karolina Skowronska secured a 6-1 victory over LIU's Paula Guillen Cerver and Emma Jane Barclay. However, LIU captured the point with wins at No. 2 doubles, where Leena Kuittinen and Ksenia Reznitskaya defeated Danina Hughes and Camila Sanchez, 7-5, and at No. 3 doubles, where Mia Tsoukalas and Mori Grylak bested Nikita Liyanage and Nadjema Morille, 6-4.

In singles, Skowronska put Chicago State on the board with a decisive 6-1, 6-3 win over Reznitskaya at No. 1 singles. LIU quickly responded at No. 2 singles, where Tsoukalas defeated Sanchez, 6-2, 6-2, and at No. 3 singles, where Cerver overcame King, 6-4, 6-4.

The match was clinched at No. 4 singles when Kuittinen secured a 7-5, 6-4 victory over Liyanage, giving LIU its fourth point. In other matches, Grylak added to LIU's tally with a 6-4, 7-6(4) win over Hughes at No. 5 singles, while a scheduling error occurred with the score in the final text block, where Barclay's match against Morille was not finished.

The next challenge for the Cougars is a double header match-up against Wagner College and FDU on Sunday, March 29 in Teaneck, New Jersey. 

Doubles  
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King, Mackenzie/Skowronska, Karolina (CSU-W) def. Cerver, Paula Guillen/Barclay, Emma Jane (LIU) 6-1  
Kuittinen, Leena/Reznitskaya, Ksenia (LIU) def. Hughes, Danina/Sanchez, Camila (CSU-W) 7-5  
Tsoukalas, Mia/Grylak, Mori (LIU) def. Liyanage, Nikita/Morille, Nadjema (CSU-W) 6-4  

Singles  
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Skowronska, Karolina (CSU-W) def. Reznitskaya, Ksenia (LIU) 6-1, 6-3  
Tsoukalas, Mia (LIU) def. Sanchez, Camila (CSU-W) 6-2, 6-2  
Cerver, Paula Guillen (LIU) def. King, Mackenzie (CSU-W) 6-4, 6-4  
Kuittinen, Leena (LIU) def. Liyanage, Nikita (CSU-W) 7-5, 6-4  
Grylak, Mori (LIU) def. Hughes, Danina (CSU-W) 6-4, 7-6(4)  
Barclay, Emma Jane (LIU) vs. Morille, Nadjema (CSU-W) 6-0, 5-0 (unfinished)