CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – For the first time in program history, the Manhattanville University women's tennis team gears up for the NCAA Tournament competition. After claiming the Skyline Conference Championship back in October, the Valiants now enter the field of 49 to crown the 2024 national champion. They will ship up to Boston as MIT plays host for their first-round match on Friday afternoon against The College of New Jersey.
Women's Tennis Preview: Manhattanville University vs. The College of New Jersey (@ MIT) | NCAA DIII Women's Tennis Tournament – First Round | Friday, 12 p.m. Indoors or 1 p.m. Outdoors | Interactive NCAA Championship Bracket
How We Got Here
The Valiants claimed their first conference championship in 17 years back on Oct. 26 after completing a 8-3 season going 4-2 in Skyline play. Manhattanville defeated No. 2 Farmingdale State, 5-4 in the Skyline Semifinals before securing a 5-4 victory against top-seeded St. Joseph's Long Island in the Skyline Championship Finals to punch their ticket to advance to the NCAA Tournament.
The Lions earned another automatic NCAA berth after capturing its 41
st consecutive NJAC title against Stockton on Apr. 27. TCNJ comes in at No. 40 in the ITA rankings and has won a first-round match in each of the last 16 NCAA Tournaments.
All-Conference Competitors
Bea Pretnar (Mohegan Lake, N.Y.) was named Skyline Conference Player of the Year, while three others joined her on the All-Conference teams following the conclusion of the regular season. Pretnar,
Suzi Doyle (Devon, England/Exeter College), and
Addison-Mercedes Ortiz (Bronx, N.Y./High School for Health Professions and Human Services) received First Team accolades, while
Keto Karkashadze (Tbilisi, Georgia/New School International) made Second Team.
On the other side of the court for TCNJ, Aira Abalos was named NJAC Player of the Year as Zoey Albert was selected as Rookie of the Year. Chase Eisenberg, Prisha Priyadarshini, Marcella Warner, and Gabriella Robinson each earned all-conference honors alongside Abalos and Albert.
Mutual Opposition
While Friday marks the first-ever meeting between Manhattanville and TCNJ, the two programs did share a common opponent this season in Ramapo College. The Lions played the Roadrunnners this April, earning a 9-0 conference win. The Valiants, meanwhile, squared off with Ramapo back in the fall, facing a 6-3 defeat.
At Stake
The winner advances to Saturday's match against Middlebury/Colby-Sawyer.
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