Dudley, Mass. – September 11, 2013 – The Springfield College women’s tennis team picked up its first win the 2013 season after it edged host Nichols College, 5-4, on Thursday afternoon at Robinson Tennis Courts.

The match was tied up four with just the No. 6 seed singles match left to finish. An injury forced junior Samantha Rydell (Williamstown, Mass.) into action, and she fell behind early, dropping the first set 4-6 to Pride junior Alanna Grady (Springfield, Mass.). She bounced back with a 6-4 win in the seconds set to force a third set for the match.

  In the third and decisive set, Rydell quickly fell behind 0-5 before she rallied to pull even at five. Grady responded by winning the next two games to take the match and capture the win for Springfield.

NicholsÂ' junior Lindsay Benoit (Holden, Mass.) and senior Anna Dyakiv (Amsterdam, N.Y.) picked up wins in their singles matches as Benoit won over Rachel London (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) at No; 1 singles, 6-1, 6-4, while Dyakiv defeated SpringfieldÂ's Sydney Streimer (Mystic, Conn.) at No; 2 singles, 6-1, 6-0.

The aforementioned injury forced Nichols juniors Katie Malloy (Norwell, Mass.) and Kelsey Peterson (Fairbanks, Alaska), along with freshman Emma Carey (Venice, Fla.), to move up a spot in the lineup. Carey fell at No. 3 singles to sophomore Melanie Thulin (Manchester Center, Vt.), 6-0, 6-1, Peterson was upended at No. 4 singles by Ariana Shemms (Goshen, Conn.), 6-2, 6-0, and Malloy fell in straight sets at No. 5 singles to freshman Stephanie Foster (Woodbridge, Conn.), 6-2, 6-0. 

The BisonÂ's No. 1 doubles team of Dyakiv and freshman Cristina Szepanski (Windsor Locks, Conn.) was victorious over Thulin and Shemms, 8-6, while the No. 2 duo of Benoit and Carey scored an 8-2 win over London and Foster. SpringfieldÂ's No. 3 team of Streimer and Grady downed senior Erin Rivers (Bristol, R.I.) and sophomore Michelle Keklik (Stratford, Conn.), 8-6.

The Pride will resume New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) action on Saturday when it plays host to Wheaton College at 1:00 pm.