WILKES-BARRE, Pa. – Senior Alexis Fuda, junior Juliette Marchisio, junior Audrey Heaberlin and sophomore Polina Odintseva all collected the first Middle Atlantic Conference titles for Stevens athletics in the 2021-22 academic year as they all won championships at the MAC Individual Championships Sunday at the Ralston Tennis Complex.

Fuda and Marchisio both won individual singles titles with Fuda taking line three singles and Marchisio winning at line six. The duo also won doubles championships as well as Marchisio joined Heaberlin at flight two doubles to win the title and Fuda teamed up with Odintseva to grab the crown at flight three.

In total, the four championships for the Ducks were tied with Misericordia University for the most among all programs in the competition.

Starting in singles play, Fuda was dominate en route to her title as she took down Brianna Rohrer 6-1, 6-0 in the semifinal to advance to the championship final where she defeated Wilkes University's Cassidy Greenman with relative ease 6-2, 6-3 to win her first career championship.

At line six, Marchisio was able to grab a 6-0, 6-1 straight sets win over Lauren Visalli of Misericordia in the semifinals. Then in the championship competition, Marchisio earned a hard-fought 7-6 (10-8), 6-2 victory over Hannah Olson of Messiah to take the flight.

In doubles, Heaberlin and Marchisio started things off at flight two by beating Greco and Landau of DeSales University 8-5. In the championship bout against Poladian & Shenk of Lebanon Valley College, the veteran Duck duo rallied their way to an exciting 8-7 (7-5) win to win the crown.

At flight three, Fuda again found a championship with relative ease, this time with help from Odintseva. The pair combined to defeat Barbour and Benderavich of Misericordia 8-4 in the semis before knocking off Wilkes' Amerise and O'Neil in the championship.

Elsewhere in the competition, Stevens saw three other student-athletes make it to the championship match of their respective singles flights. The Ducks had a representative in five of the seven singles finals and two of the four doubles.

Senior Agatha Malinowski started her day by trouncing Kirsten Kosa of DeSales in the semifinal at line one singles. Then, going up against Misericordia's Brianna Pizzano, the No. 1 overall seed in the tournament, Malinowski fell in straight sets 6-3, 6-1 to take second.

Just behind her at line two, Heaberlin suffered a similar fate after winning 6-2, 6-0 over Wilkes' Zoe Klein in the semis. The junior from Lexington, S.C., had to settle for a runner-up finish, though, as she dropped the championship match 6-2, 6-2 to Emily Brecker of Misericordia.

First-year Isabella Dona also advanced to her singles championship at line five with a dominant 6-0, 6-0 win over Rei Saar of Lycoming College in the semis. In the title match, however, Dona fell to Theresa Amerise of Wilkes 6-2, 6-1 to grab silver.

Odintseva looked poised to join her teammates in the championship at No. 4 singles but had to retire in the middle of her semifinal match up 6-2, 5-4 over Lydia Barbour of Misericordia. Barbour then went on to win the singles title at line four.

It is the second straight time Stevens has won four titles at the MAC Individual Championships after winning three doubles and a singles championship at the 2019 tournament.

Up Next: Stevens returns to the court Saturday, Sept. 25 through Monday, Sept. 27 when they compete in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Atlantic South Regional Championships.

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