2010 Northeast Conference Women's Tennis Championship Bracket
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Brooklyn, N.Y. - The Long Island University women's tennis team has garnered the second seed in the Northeast Conference Tournament and will take on No. 7 Monmouth. Fairleigh Dickinson, the only NEC team to defeat the Blackbirds this season, was awarded the conference's top seed.
Long Island compiled an impressive 11-3 mark during regular season spring play. The Blackbirds went 2-1 in NEC action, defeating Sacred Heart on March 24, 5-2, and Monmouth on April 2, 7-0. Long Island had its NEC Championship rematch with Quinnipiac cancelled due to snowy conditions. Fairleigh Dickinson dealt the Blackbirds their only league loss, a 4-3 defeat on April 5, snapping an eight-match winning streak.
The Blackbirds are led by senior
Selma Babic, who has been named NEC Player of the Week six times, winning each of the last five awards. Babic is 16-1 overall in singles play this season. In dual-match action, the Bosnia and Herzegovina native is 11-1, all at the No. 1 position, and has won 10 straight matches. Babic is 3-0 against NEC opponents.
Freshman
Linn Sjogren has been the Blackbirds' primary option at the No. 2 spot. Overall, she has compiled a 9-10 record, with a 7-6 mark in dual matches. The Sweden native is 5-6 at the No. 2 flight, 2-0 at No. 3 and 1-2 against the conference.
At No. 3, fellow freshman
Aleksandra Pavlovic has impressed, earning a pair of NEC Rookie of the Week accolades. Pavlovic is 13-12 for the season, including an 8-6 mark in dual-match play. The Serbia native is 2-1 against the NEC and is 5-6 at the third position. In addition, Pavlovic has won both matches she played at No. 2 and an addition match at No. 1.
Taysha Blessington rounds out Long Island's trio of talented freshman. Blessington has also won an NEC Rookie of the Week award and is on a five-match win streak. For the season, she has compiled a 12-11 record (10-4 dual). The Australia native is a perfect 3-0 in NEC play and has gone 9-4 at the No. 4 spot, with an additional win at No. 2.
Senior
Stephanie Elie has seen a majority of her time at No. 5, going 4-4. For the season, Elie is 6-10 with a 6-6 mark in dual play. She has gone 1-2 at No. 6 and scored an addition victory at No. 3. Elie is 2-1 in conference action.
Fellow senior H'Ann Johnson has been the Blackbirds' primary sixth position player but has struggled with an injury as of late, limiting her to doubles play. For the season, Johnson has amassed a 6-1 record, with all six wins coming at No. 6 in dual matches. The Antigua native is 2-1 against the NEC.
Junior
Dara Lahens has also seen time at No. 6, going 3-1. Lahens is 1-3 at the No. 5 spot to finish the regular season with a 4-4 mark in dual matches (5-8 overall). She has not played an NEC singles match.
In doubles action, Babic and Pavlovic make up Long Island's top team. The duo has compiled a 12-1 mark, all in dual matches, and had their 12-match winning streak snapped by Army's Annie Houghton and Kristin Beehler in the regular season finale. Babic and Pavlovic are 3-0 against NEC opponents.
At No. 2, Johnson and Blessington have compiled 7-2 mark, all in dual action. They have won two straight and went 1-2 in league play.
Elie and Lahens are the Blackbirds' pair at the third spot. For the season they have amassed a 15-7 record, going 9-4 in dual matches. Elie and Lahens are 2-1 against NEC competition.
The three-day NEC Tournament kicks off on Friday, April 16. Long Island is scheduled to play Monmouth at 4:30 p.m. The competition will be held at the Mercer County Tennis Center in West Windsor, N.J.