NEWARK, N.J. – The LIU Brooklyn women's tennis team dropped its first dual match of the 2018-19 season Sunday evening against NJIT, as the Blackbirds and the Highlanders battled to the last point. Both teams entered the match undefeated, and NJIT improves to 4-0 with the win, while LIU moves to 2-1.
 
The match eventually came down to the doubles point, as the two teams would come out even in singles. In doubles, the Blackbirds struck first, as senior Malin Leysen and junior Jennifer Gogova beat their opponents in the No. 3 spot with ease, 6-2 to get LIU on the board. NJIT would take a tough win in the No.1 spot, 7-5, and the point came down to No. 2 doubles. There, Sasha Bollweg and Jessica Brzozowska had match point, but saw the Highlanders rally back to force a tiebreaker, that they won, 10-6, taking the win at No. 2, and clinching the doubles point.
 
The Blackbirds also had a battle in singles, as nearly every match saw either a tiebreaker or a decisive third set. Senior Anna Grigoryan evened the score for LIU in the No.1 singles spot, when she came back from being down 2-5 to win her first set, 7-6(3), and eventually took the second set, 6-3, to tie the team score up, 1-1.
 
NJIT would gain the advantage with a win in the No.2 singles spot, where Brzozowska put up a good fight, but fell, 6-2, 7-6(6), but the Blackbirds evened it up once more, when Bollweg beat her opponent in straight sets at No. 4, 6-3, 7-6(0). The match score was tied up, 2-2, with three more matches still raging on, and entering their third sets.
 
The Highlanders got a win in the No. 3 spot, where Holy Matson beat Leysen in a three set thriller, 7-5, 3-6, 6-1. And it would be another three set win for the Highlanders at No. 5 singles, where Gogova fell, 6-4, 4-6, 7-5, and NJIT clinched the decisive fourth point to take the win. Senior Clemence Krug earned a point for the Blackbirds in the No. 6 singles spot, where she rallied from a first set loss to win, 1-6, 6-2, 6-4, but the Highlanders took the win, 4-3.
 
"We played beautifully today, and the match could have gone either way at any point," head coach Jan Griga said after the match. "Overall, I am very happy with today's performance even though we lost. Being only the second match, back this signals a rock solid season going forward."
 
Up next, the Blakcbirds take on two more tough local teams, facing off against St. John's University, Friday, February 8, and Seton Hall, Sunday, February 10.
 
 
NJIT 4, LIU Brooklyn 3
 
Doubles
1. Holly Matson/Joleta Budiman (NJIT) def. Anna Grigoryan/Ana Leonte (LIU) 7-5
2. Rafaella Sampaio/Mouna Bouzgarrou (NJIT) def. Sasha Bollweg/Jessica Brzozowska (LIU) 7-6 (6)
3. Malin Leysen/Jennifer Gogova (LIU) def. Shamika Dhar/Adara Omar (NJIT) 6-2
 
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2*
 
Singles
1. Anna Grigoryan (LIU) def. Mouna Bouzgarrou (NJIT) 7-6 (3), 6-3
2. Joleta Budiman (NJIT) def. Jessica Brzozowska (LIU) 6-2, 7-6 (6)
3. Holly Matson (NJIT) def. Malin Leysen (LIU) 7-5, 3-6, 6-1
4. Sasha Bollweg (LIU) def. Shamika Dhar (NJIT) 6-3, 7-6 (0)
5. Mayar Eltony (NJIT) def. Jennifer Gogova (LIU) 6-4, 4-6, 7-5
6. Clemence Krug (LIU) def. Rafaella Sampaio (NJIT) 1-6, 6-2, 6-4
 
Order of Finish: 1, 2, 4, 3, 5*, 6