Bloomsburg Wins Atlantic Region Final With 5-3 Win over Slippery Rock

2009 NCAA D-II Atlantic Region Champs

BLOOMSBURG-- The Bloomsburg University women's tennis advanced to the NCAA Division II national championship tournament in Orlando, FL next week with a 5-3 win over Slippery Rock on Friday in an Atlantic Region final.

The two teams played a classic three and-a-half hour marathon just two weeks after playing a four-hour thriller in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference semi-finals. In Friday's play, three of the singles matches went three sets with each team winning one and one that did not get completed.

The Huskies took a 2-1 lead coming out of doubles play, the team of Alison Carney (Muncy/Warrior Run) and Emily Palko (McMurray/Peters Township) won 8-3 at number one, while Laura Sullivan (Dingman's Ferry/Delaware Valley) and Andrea Malatesta (Berwick/Berwick) picked up an 8-3 win at number three. For the Rock, Laura Handy and Chelsea Gibson posted an 8-2 victory at number two.

In singles play, Handy won at number two for Slippery Rock to make it 2-2. After Bloomsburg's Kristen Bonito (Bridgewater, Ma/Cassidy Coyle) won 6-1, 6-4 at number six the Huskies were back on top 3-2. Bloomsburg made it 4-2 on the scoreboard with a 6-1, 6-4 win by Sullivan at number four. But, the Rock closed the gap to 4-3 when Kayla Blackburn rallied from being a set down to win 1-6, 6-3, 6-4 at one singles.

With just two matches left the Rock needed to win both to advance. However, Bloomsburg's Carney rallied from a set down to pull out the deciding match at number three singles, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4. Of course, the win was not without some nail biting. Slippery Rock's Jessica Hillborn trailed 4-1 in the third set, but got to within 5-4 before Carney was able to close out the match.

The only match not be completed was at five singles where Bloomsburg's Andrea Malatesta was leading 4-2 in the third set of her match with Gibson.

Bloomsburg, now 15-5, will be making its sixth trip in the last eight years to the NCAA round of 16. Slippery Rock closes out it season at 21-5.