SALISBURY, Md. – The New Jersey City University men's and women's tennis teams headed down to Maryland for a pair of non-conference matches on Friday, April 21, and each put forth victorious efforts against talented opponents from Salisbury University. The NJCU men just edged out the Gulls, 5-4, while the women were victorious, 7-2.
 
On the men's side, the Gothic Knights (10-6) defeated Salisbury (8-8) in a tight match. NJCU started off by winning two of the three doubles matches, both in hard-earned tiebreaks. After falling down one in the loss at third doubles, junior Nico Teynie (Rouen, France/Lycée Val de Seine) and Alejandro Ley (Las Palmas, Spain/I.E.S. Politécnico) held on for an 8-7(3) win at #1 to even it up. Then, sophomore Joaquin Pluis (Buenos Aires, Argentina/Santa Felicitas) and junior Jordi Julia (Barcelona, Spain/IES Sant Quirze del Valles) did the same at second doubles, winning 8-7(5) to give the Green and Gold a 2-1 advantage heading into singles play.
 
There, it was even as Teynie and freshman Pedro Caro Accinco-Roca each won their matches in straight sets at first (6-3, 6-2) and fourth (6-4, 6-4) singles, respectively. However, it was the Gulls who also won three singles matches, leaving it all tied up with only second singles left to finish. After winning his first set, Ley dropped the second and was forced to play a third and decisive set to decide the match. The junior won the third set, 6-3, and his match (6-2, 2-6, 6-3) to clinch the team victory by one point at 5-4.
 
For the women, it was a similar start as the Gothic Knights (10-5) finished doubles play up 2-1 after the first pair of seniors Giada Zorzan (Milan, Italy/Liceo dello Sport Marco Pantani) and Eliza Clamor (Auckland, New Zealand/Rangitoto College) won, 8-6, and the second pair of freshman Sophia Jurina (Munich, Germany/Carl-Spitzweg-Gymnasium) and sophomore Vanashita Malhotra won, 8-3. Five of the six NJCU players won in singles play against Salisbury (11-5) to cement that 7-2 win.
 
Giada Zorzan (Milan, Italy/Liceo dello Sport Marco Pantani) (6-4, 6-1), Clamor (6-2, 6-2) and Jurina (7-5, 6-2) all won in straight sets at first, second and fourth singles, while Malhotra and sophomore Sara Zorzan (Milan, Italy/Liceo Falcone Borsellino) each pulled out three-set wins at third (5-7, 6-1, 6-1) and fifth (6-2, 2-6, 6-4) singles.
 
Up Next:
The NJCU men return to action for the de factor New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) East Division Championship on Sunday, April 23, at 12:00 p.m. against The College of New Jersey. The women are back in action on Wednesday, April 26, for the semifinal round of the 2023 NJAC Tournament. NJCU will host #3-seed Stockton University at the Lincoln Park Tennis Center, beginning at 2:00 p.m.