HOBOKEN, N.J. (July 15, 2013) – The Stevens Institute of Technology women's tennis team has announced its Fall 2013 schedule, which will include six home matches, four of which will be versus Empire 8 Athletic Conference foes.

Fall 2013 Schedule

Senior Lisa Tessitore (Dobbs Ferry, N.Y.), juniors Jessica Bourque (Houma, La.), Elena Cocineva-Lenge (Chester, N.J.) and Danielle Stewart (North Plainfield, N.J.) and sophomores Julia Guignard (Lowville, N.Y.) and Arden Servidio (Nutley, N.J.) will return after the Ducks' fourth consecutive runners-up finish in the Empire 8 Championship and will be gunning for their first-ever NCAA Championship appearance.

Stevens will open its season at the TCNJ Doubles Tournament along with SUNY-New Paltz and host The College of New Jersey on August 30.  The Ducks did not face TCNJ, which advanced to the Second Round of the NCAA Championship, last year, and fell 5-4 at New Paltz to end the Spring 2013 season.   Bourque and Stewart were both double-winners for the Ducks, cruising to straight-set victories at first and third singles, respectively.

The Ducks will turn right around for their first conference matchup of the year as they host Nazareth College at noon on August 31.  The Golden Flyers defeated the Ducks, 5-4, in last year's season-opener as Stevens took second doubles as well as first, second and fourth singles.  Handel and Victoria Tran came up just short at third doubles (9-8) while Tessitore edged out her opponent in a three-set marathon at second singles, 6-2, 6-7 (4-7), 10-7.  Stevens avenged the loss in the Empire 8 semifinals, however, topping Nazareth 5-3 behind wins at second and third doubles as well as the top three singles courts.  The doubles teams of Guignard/Stewart and Lexie Handel/Nathalie Tran each won 8-6 at #2 and #3, respectively, while Tessitore (6-4, 3-6, 7-5) and Stewart (7-6 [7-1], 7-6 [9-7]) outlasted their rivals at second and third singles, respectively, and Bourque locked up first singles in straight sets.

The Ducks will hit the road for their only away matches this fall – four straight conference matches over two weekends, starting with dates at Utica College on September 7 and Hartwick College on September 8. Stevens swept Utica, 9-0, while dropping just three total games and topped Hartwick, 8-1, with straight set victories at courts #1-5 while suffering a 10-2 tiebreaker loss at #6.

Stevens will head back upstate the following weekend for matchups against St. John Fisher College on September 14 and Alfred University on September 15.  The Ducks swept both teams, 9-0, in straight sets on all courts last season.

The Ducks then return home for the next month, kicking off the home stand with a September 18 faceoff with Drew University at 4 p.m.  Stevens took last year's matchup, 8-1, with Laura Tantillo's epic 12-10 tiebreaker defeat at fifth singles the only point the Ducks gave away as the rest of the lineup won in hard-fought straight sets.

Muhlenberg College will arrive on campus September 25 for a 4 p.m. opening serve after falling 7-2 to Stevens last season, when the Ducks swept the doubles matches and took first, fourth, fifth and sixth singles, with Nathalie Tran running up a 10-4 tiebreaker victory at #6.

The Ducks will take a break from team competition for the annual Intercollegiate Tennis Association Northeast Regional Tournament, which will run from September 27-30 in Geneva, N.Y.  Bourque reached the semifinals for the second consecutive year and is only the second Duck in program history to advance as far, while she and Tessitore became the first doubles team to ever advance past the Second Round, also reaching the semifinals.  Guignard won a singles match as well to make it to the Second Round in her rookie season.

Stevens returns to team play for the stretch run of its schedule, recommencing with Houghton College on October 4 at 3:30 p.m.  The Highlanders' tennis programs are joining the conference as provisional members a year after their other 16 teams came into the fold.

Eight-time defending champion Ithaca College will arrive at 10 a.m. on October 6 after posting a pair of victories over Stevens last year.  The Bombers took the regular season matchup, 7-2, as Tessitore and Stewart picked up points at second and fourth singles, respectively, with Stewart rallying for the three-set win while Bourque and Tessitore barely dropped first doubles, 9-8 (7-1) and Guignard and Stewart fell at #2, 9-7.

The Ducks will also host Elmira College at 2:30 p.m. that same afternoon.  Stevens won last year's matchup, 8-1, as Victoria Tran's spirited rally to force a third set at sixth singles (6-2, 6-7 [8-10], 7-6 [13-11]) was not enough to complete the sweep as the other Ducks all won in straight sets.

A late addition to the schedule, the NJSIAA Tournament at Drew on October 12-13 will serve as a final tune-up for Stevens ahead of the Empire 8 Championship on October 19-20 in Ithaca, N.Y., where the Ducks will look to make their fifth straight Finals appearance.  Stevens came closest to the program's first-ever championship two years ago as the Ducks fell one set shy of knocking off Ithaca and will be looking to challenge again this year.