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 Iulia Doci beat URI star at #1 singles |
April 1, 2007
NEWARK, NJ - The rain came before New Jersey Institute of Technology and Rhode Island could complete all of their women's tennis match Sunday on the Fleisher Athletic Center courts. But NJIT's number one player, Iulia Doci, beat the rain to score one of the most impressive individual wins ever for the Highlander women in the 4-1 loss to URI.
URI raised its record to 13-3 with the victory, taking three of the four singles matches that were completed (third and sixth singles were not finished due to rain) and also the doubles point, winning two of three doubles matches.
Most noteworthy for NJIT was the result for Doci, who defeated Rhode Island senior Lara Maurer 7-5, 2-6 (10-4) in first singles.
Doci was one of the top players in the region in Division II as a freshman in 2005-06 and she has more than held her own this year with NJIT's move up to Division I competition. Sunday's win over Maurer raised Doci's 2006-07 record at first singles to 13-6, with five straight wins.
Maurer is one of the most accomplished players ever to face NJIT in women's tennis. She came into the Sunday's match with a 22-1 overall record at #1 singles (including tournaments) in 2006-07. She had been 8-0 in the spring season and was 15-0 overall at first singles this season in team competition.
Prior to this year, when she transferred to URI, Maurer played for the University of Kentucky, where she was the number two player on a team that ended last year ranked 17th in the nation in Division I. She was also half of a Kentucky #2 doubles team that ranked 45th among all the doubles teams in the nation (including first doubles teams). In addition, Maurer was a second-team all-Southeastern Conference honoree.
As a sophomore, Maurer played fourth and fifth singles for a team that ranked fourth in the country in Division I. That year, she became the first Kentucky player ever to record consecutive victories over players from college superpower Florida. Each of the Gator players she defeated were ranked in the national top five at their positions as individuals.
Doci also teamed with Fatima Kasem to defeat Maurer and Grace Hedstrom, 8-4, in first doubles.
Rhode Island won the second and fifth singles in straight sets, while the Rams' number four, Hedstrom, defeating NJIT's Marine Henry, 6-0, 3-6, 6-1.
The third and sixth singles were not played to a finish, due to the rain. At number three, Isha Toor, who lost the first set, 3-6, was up in the second set for NJIT when the match was halted. In the sixth spot, Chiori Koike of the Highlanders, lost the first set, but had tied the second set when it was halted.
In doubles, Toor and Fanny Aizier dropped a hard-fought match at number two to URI's Val Chacon and Nyssa Peele, who won 8-6. The Rams also won third doubles, 8-2.
The Highlanders, 11-8 in their first season of Division I competition, are slated to host Manhattan on Tuesday at 4:30 pm on the Fleisher Athletic Center courts.
