Women's Tennis Opens 2006 Season Friday Against Pace

SMITHFIELD, RI - The Bryant University women's tennis team will open up its 2006 spring season this Friday afternoon when the Bulldogs travel to East Hartford, Conn. to face conference foe Pace University for an 11:30 am match.  The Bulldogs, winners of two-straight Northeast-10 Conference titles, return seven letterwinners from last year's squad that post an undefeated conference record and advanced to the NCAA tournament for the second year in a row.  Following Friday's match with Pace, the Bulldogs will head to Puerto Rico for two matches with UPR-Rio Piedras and one match with UPR-Mayaguez.

Seventh-year coach Barbara Cilli will return a solid lineup starting at the top with two-time NE-10 Player of the Year Sacha Solomon (Bourne, Mass.).  Solomon has not dropped a single conference match in her two seasons competing at Bryant, going 19-2 overall and 11-0 in conference play. In the fall of 2004, Solomon captured the ITA East Regional title.  Shel'll be joined by senior Alanna Santanello (North Providence, RI), Alex Spence (Lynnfield, Mass.), Annette Jervasi (Colchester, Conn.), Michelle Burke (Barrington, RI), and Lauren Mullen (Braintree, Mass.).  All return with excellent varsity experience.

In 2005, Spence, Jervasi, Burke, and Santanello joined Solomon on the Northeast-10 Conference First Team.  Solomon and Jervasi also earned first team all-conference honors at No. 1 doubles while Spence / Santanello were named second team all-conference No. 2 doubles with Burke and Mullen earning second team No. 3 doubles.