SAGE KIRSTEN ACKERMAN ADVANCES AT ITA REGIONALS

Geneva, NY – The Sage Colleges' women's tennis team had two players in action on Saturday at the opening round of the 2013 ITA Northeast Regionals on the campus of William Smith College.

The tournament features a 64-player singles bracket and a field of 32 pairs in the doubles competition. For the first time in Sage's women's tennis history the Gators have a player in the round of 16 as junior Kirsten Ackerman (Rensselear, NY/Guilderland) posted two wins on Saturday, including a win over the No. 14 seeded player.

Ackerman opened her singles' action defeated Bard College's Albina Muzafarova, 6-0, 6-2. In the second match of the day, she bested the No. 14 seed, Skidmore's Alex Smith, 6-3, 6-4.

She advances to the second day of the three-day tournament and will face the No. 6 seed, St. Lawrence University's Elkie Vandenbeemst in the first match of the day on Sunday.

Senior Nicole Riley (Catskill, NY/Catskill) competed in the singles draw, but fell 6-0, 6-2 to New York University's Madeline King to drop to the consolation bracket.

Sage's tandem of Ackerman and Riley also competed in the doubles and faced Nazareth's Sara Kashtan and Alison Tepas. They opened with an 8-6 win in the first round. In the second round, they fell 8-4 to Steven's  Jessica Bourque and Lisa Tessitore.