PRINCETON, NJ (Apr. 24, 2026) – No. 1 Quinnipiac University and No. 2 Mount St. Mary’s earned semifinal round wins at the 2026 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Women’s Tennis Championship on Friday at Princeton University Racquet and Fieldhouse in Princeton, NJ. The Bobcats dominated No. 4 Fairfield University, 4-1, and The Mountaineers edged No. 3 Sacred Heart, 4-3, to advance to the championship final on Sunday.
No. 1 Quinnipiac – 4 | No. 4 Fairfield – 1
Princeton University Racquet and Fieldhouse | PRINCETON, NJ
Score Sheet
Top seeded Quinnipiac beat No. 4 Fairfield, 4-1 in the first semifinal round matchup of the day. The Bobcats quickly gained the doubles point, snagging wins at the #2 and #3 positions. The #2 doubles squad of Vera Sekerina and Anagha Shankar defeated Sophia Harris and Victoria Mandma 6-2, while the #3 doubles pair of Caroline Schulson and Isabella Sicignano took down Maeve Cassidy and Liliana Malinowski 6-3.
In Singles, the two-time MAAC Player of the Year, Quinnipiac’s Willow Renton, made quick work of Victoria Mandma in the topflight (6-2 6-1), putting the Bobcats ahead 2-0. Anna Neyestani of Fairfield, put the Stags on the board, defeating Caitlin Flower, 6-2 7-5 in the #2 spot, cutting the team score to 2-1. Quinnipiac would wrap up the match 18 minutes later, securing victories at #5 and #6. At the number #5 flight, Vera Sekerina got by Maria Gell, 6-1 3-6 6-0, while Caroline Schulson picked up a 6-1 7-5 win against Maeve Cassidy at the #6 spot to clinch the 4-1 win for Quinnipiac.
This was the fifth straight and seventh overall postseason match between the two Connecticut schools. Quinnipiac has controlled the series, owning a 6-2 advantage following today’s contest. Quinnipiac advances to its 12
th consecutive championship final dating back to 2014, the program’s first season as a member of the MAAC. The Bobcats will look to win back-to-back MAAC Championship titles on Sunday and their fourth in the past five seasons, having claimed the trophy last year and in 2023 and 2022. Quinnipiac will be seeking the program’s ninth overall MAAC Championship, having also won five consecutive crowns from 2014 to 2018.
No. 2 Mount St. Mary’s – 4 | No. 3 Sacred Heart – 3
Princeton University Racquet and Fieldhouse | PRINCETON, NJ
Box Score
No. 2 Mount St. Mary’s pulled out a thriller in the second semifinal match, earning a 4-3 nail-biting win over No. 3 Sacred Heart. The Mountaineers jumped ahead 1-0 by securing the doubles point in three tight matches. The Mount took the first point with at #2 doubles, led by a win from Emma Perkins and Anna Barlini over Malena Del Olmo and Ava Nelson (6-1). The Pioneers evened up things by grabbing #1 doubles after Olivia Zuba and Ola Irla-Bartyzel got a win over Venus Tang and Isabella Pescatore (6-4). The doubles point was clinched with a victory by Eirini Tsakiri and Margherita Trolese in the #3 spot, winning 6-6 (4) in a tiebreak against Brooke Tuffs and Savita Bagirathan, to give the Mount a 1-0 lead heading into singles.
The two teams would exchange blows during singles, going back and forth in the dual. The Mount would go on to claim the first singles point and get halfway to the victory with Anna Barlini quickly handling Malena Del Olmo (6-0 6-3) in the #6 position. Sacred Heart would cut the deficit in half following a 6-2 6-3 triumphant at #2 by Ava Nelson over Venus Tang. The #3 singles spot would be the third finished match, this time giving the point to the Mount as Margherita Trolese defeated Savita Bagirathan 6-4 6-2. Trailing 3-1 with three matches in play, the Pioneers would win back-to-back matches, to knot the semifinal up at 3-3. At the topflight, Ola Irla-Bartyzel beat Eirini Tsakiri, 6-1 6-4, and then in the #4 flight, Olivia Zuba got by Emma Perkins, 6-4 7-6 (4) in a tiebreak. The match would come down to the #5 spot, where the Mount’s Isabella Pescatore grinded out a 6-4 6-2 win over Kiah James, to clinch the match and propel Mount St. Mary’s to MAAC Championship final.
The semifinal win was first postseason win for the Mount since joining the MAAC. Mount St. Mary’s also avenged one of its two regular season MAAC losses with the victory, having fell to Sacred Heart 4-0 when the teams met back on February 21. Sunday will be the first ever MAAC final appearance for the Mount and the Mountaineers are seeking its first women’s tennis title since 1995, when they won the NEC championship.
The 2026 MAAC Women's Tennis Championship final will take place on Sunday April 26 at 11:00 a.m. with the winner earning the league’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament.
For all information regarding the 2026 MAAC Men's & Women’s Tennis Championships, please visit
maacsports.com/tennis.
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 13 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 45th year of competition during the 2025-26 academic year. Current conference members include: Canisius University, Fairfield University, Iona University, Manhattan University, Marist University, Merrimack College, Mount St. Mary’s University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Sacred Heart University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena University.
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