LUDLOW, Massachusetts - The American International College women's tennis team fell to the defending conference champions, Adelphi University, during the team's home opener on Wednesday, September 12.

FAST FACTS:
Final score: AIC 1, Adelphi 6
Records: AIC moves to 0-2 on the year and 0-2 in the NE10; Adelphi is now 2-0 and 1-0 in the NE10.
Where: Ludlow Tennis Club - Ludlow, Massachusetts

RESULTS:
Singles:
1. Nicole Kielan (ADE) def. Meri Jimeno-Vicente (AIC) 6-2, 6-3
2. Samantha Perri (ADE) def. Cecilia Salazar (AIC) 6-0, 6-0
3. Karen Serina (ADE) def. Sophie Roberge (AIC) 6-2, 6-0
4. Nicole Stay (ADE) def. Taylor Pankewicz (AIC) 6-0, 6-0
5. Ashley Mannetta (ADE) def. Alice Calabrese (AIC) 6-0, 6-0
6. Mireya Ortega (AIC) by default

Doubles:
1. Nicole Kielan/Samantha Perri (ADE) def. Meri Jimeno-Vicente/Taylor Pankewicz (AIC) 6-1
2. Karen Serina/Nicole Stay (ADE) def. Cecilia Salazar/Sophie Roberge (AIC) 6-0
3. Alice Calabrese/Mireya Ortega (AIC) by default

COACH'S NOTES:

• "Meri had the longest match of the day again, facing off in a re-match with Nicole Kielan, who she played at No. 2 singles last season," said AIC head coach Loni Hammons. "While we were unable to pull out a set, Meri definitely improved her performance this time around against a heavy-hitting Kielan."
• "Sophie Roberge had the second-longest singles match of the night, with a good showing against a very seasoned player with a big serve," Hammons said. "She was able to move well, and create a few good opportunities for herself throughout the match."
• "While the scores may not reflect the team's effort, we have to remember this is the three-time defending conference champion that we were up against today," Hammons added. "Adelphi utilizes a greater shot selection and has many aggressive hitters that play more than just baseline games. They were able to really push their way into the court and create movement to set themselves better at those critical game conversion moments. I believe we had a lot of good moments and definitely competed better as a team than we did a year ago. We are definitely making progress, and I believe my freshmen are starting to see that they can hang in with some of these teams within each game. Now we have to start playing smart and handle the pressure at key points.It's still early in the season, so I think we will only continue to improve."

NEXT UP:

• AIC will travel to Flushing, New York beginning on Friday, September 14 to compete at the ITA East Regional at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
• "We are looking forward to competing in New York City this weekend at ITAs and seeing what's out there among all the East Region conferences," Hammons said.

STAY CONNECTED:

• For more updates about the AIC women's tennis team, follow @wtennisAIC on Instagram. For updates on all AIC Yellow Jackets teams, follow @AICAthletics on Twitter and Instagram, and like AIC Yellow Jackets on Facebook.