WILLIAMSTOWN, MA – Endicott College collected the first point of the match, but Wilkes University stormed back to win four straight matches on their way to a 5-3 win over the Gulls to advance to tomorrow's second round of the 2016 NCAA Championship Tournament on Friday afternoon.
 
With the win Wilkes improved to 21-2 on the year, extended their win streak to 10, and upped their NCAA Tournament record to 5-9 all-time. Endicott closes their season with a final record of 14-5 and their NCAA Tournament record now stands at 3-6.The match was played indoors in Lansing Chapman Rink on the campus of Williams College due to inclement weather.
 
Endicott claimed the first point in the match with a decisive 8-4 win by their number one doubles team of Maxine Bergstein and Mackenzie Rhodes, who topped Wilkes' Kendra Coker and Jordan Vasarkovy (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North).
 
Wilkes, however, came back to even the match at one all with an 8-2 win at three doubles by Madison Salmon (Endicott, NY/Union Endicott) and Olivia Hewison (Port Crane, NY/Chenango Valley) over Endicott's Reilly Fitzgibbons and Lauren Rahr.
 
The two doubles match would determine the team that would take the lead into singles play.
 
Wilkes' Taylor Hoffmann (Huntingdon Valley, PA/Lower Moreland) and Julia Baranov (Huntingdon Valley, PA/William Tennent)a overcame Endicott's Hayley Barnett and Margot Andreason by a score of 9-7 to give the Colonels the 2-1 lead heading into singles play.
 
Hoffman playing at four singles was the first player off the court downing Endicott's Gillian Freter 6-1, 6-1 to give the Lady Colonels a 3-1 lead and three consecutive wins in the match.
 
Vasarkovy extended the Lady Colonels' skein of wins to four when she defeated Endicott's Margot Andreason 6-3, 6-1 at two singles and Wilkes now owned a 4-1 lead in the match.
 
A straight set win, 6-2, 6-4, at three singles by Reilly Fitzgibbons stopped the Wilkes streak of wins at four and kept the Endicott Gulls alive in the match with the score now 4-2 in favor of Wilkes.
 
At five singles Endicott's Maxine Bergstein won in straight sets over Erin Volutza (Sinking Spring, PA/Lancaster Catholic) 6-1, 6-4, but almost at the exact moment, Croker defeated Hayley Barnett in three sets, 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 to lift the Lady Colonels to a 5-3 win and into the second round tomorrow.
 
Wilkes will take on host Williams College tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. in second round action.
 
Wilkes University 5, Endicott 3
 
Singles competition:
1. K. Croker (WUWT) def. Hayley Barnett (EC) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
2. J. Vasarkovy (WUWT) def. Margot Andreasen (EC) 6-3, 6-1
3. Reilly Fitzgibbons (EC) def. M. Salmon (WUWT) 6-2, 6-4
4. T. Hoffmann (WUWT) def. Gillian Freter (EC) 6-1, 6-1
5. Maxine Bergstein (EC) def. E. Volutza (WUWT) 6-1, 6-4
6. G. Graham (WUWT) vs. Mackenzie Rhodes (EC) 4-6, 1-1, unfinished
 
Doubles competition:
1. Maxine Bergstein/Mackenzie Rhodes (EC) def. K. Croker/J. Vasarkovy (WUWT) 8-4
2. T. Hoffmann/J. Baranov (WUWT) def. Hayley Barnett/Margot Andreasen (EC) 9-7
3. M. Salmon/O. Hewison (WUWT) def. Reilly Fitzgibbons/Lauren Rahr (EC) 8-2