Flushing, NY | The College of Staten Island women's tennis team fell hard today at the National Tennis Center in Flushing Meadows today, suffering an 8-1 defeat at the hands of CUNYAC defending-champions John Jay College in what was their CUNYAC opener.  CSI leveled to 1-1 overall and fell to 0-1 within the CUNYAC, while John Jay improved their marks to 5-2, 2-0, respectively.

The home Bloodhounds got off to a great start, sweeping doubles play and starting out with a 3-0 edge.  In the top spot Gabriela de Armas and Gabrielle Schuck were crisp with an 8-2 win over CSI's Katherine Villarroel and Hannah Bruschi, and two steps lower, Briana Scmidt and Kellie Murtha were dominating in an 8-0 win over Guetanie Romain and Katherine Moreno.

The toughest match was in the No. 2 position, where CSI's Tristiana Adragna and Mariah DeGuia were locked in a war with Mariana Rodriguez and Angelica Lozano.  After back-and-forth play, however, the Bloodhounds' duo proved to be too much, as they would break away and prevail, 8-5.

when play switched to singles, John Jay ripped off a [pair of wins early to clinch things.  At No. 6, Murtha was overpowering in a 6-0, 6-0, win over Moreno, and one flight up, Schmidt was able to get past Romain, 6-1, 6-2.  For extra measure, JJC was able to take straight set wins at No. 2, with Rodriguez over Villarroel, 6-0, 6-2, and at No. 4 with Lozano over DeGuia, 6-1, 6-4.

The match did feature a pair of high-intensity three-set affairs.  In the top spot, de Armas lost her first set against Adragna, 6-4, but then responded to take a 6-4, 7-5 win to keep her personal win streak intact.  In the other three-setter, CSI recorded their only win, as Bruschi was able to come up big in a third and deciding set, ultimately winning, 6-4, 2-6, 6-3.

For JJC, it was their first regular season victory over the Dolphins since 2007.  

The Dolphins will look to bounce back in their next scheduled meeting, scheduled for Sunday afternoon once again at the National Tennis Center, this time to face Baruch College at 12 Noon as part of CUNYAC play.