Sept. 9, 2007

FAIRFIELD, Conn. - The Providence College women's tennis squad opened its season Saturday, September 8, at the Fairfield Double Festival in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Representing the Friars in the Flight One bracket were sophomore Dara Hawkins-Hodgson (South Euclid, Ohio) and freshman Avery Gibson (Fairfield, Iowa). In their first match the two took on Holy Cross. The Friars' number 1 doubles pair were defeated, 8-6. The Friars' next opponent was host Fairfield University, which took Providence in 10 games, defeating the Friars, 8-2. Following the defeat to Fairfield, Providence fell to the Unversity of Connectict, 8-2. In their next match against the University of Hartford, Hawkins-Hodgson and Gibson defeated the Hawks, 8-5, for the duo's only win of the day, grasping a seventh place finish with a 1-4 record.

Representing Providence in the Flight Two bracket were frsehman Kim Betzner (Walpole, Mass.) and sophomore Jen Cusack (Bayport, N.Y,). The duo went 0-3 on the day, falling to Holy Cross (8-4), Fairfield (8-3), and UConn (8-4).

In the Flight Three bracket for Providence were junior Amy McDevitt (East Greenwich, R.I.) and senior Erin Kenaga (Norwalk, Conn.). McDevitt and Kenaga proved to be PC's most successful duo on the day, finishing with a 2-2 record. The Friars were first defeated by Holy Cross, 9-7, but turned the next match around, defeating host Fairfield University, 8-4. In its next match, Providence fell to Connecticut, 8-1. In the fifth place match against Hartford, however, the pair dominated, shutting out the Hawks, 8-0, securing a fifth place finish.

The Friar tennis squad's next time in action is at the West Point Invitational, September 14-16, in West Point, New York.