NEWARK, NJ--The NJIT women's tennis team closed out the regular season Tuesday afternoon with a 5-2 victory over visiting UAlbany at The Naimoli Family Athletic and Recreational Facility.

NJIT won the doubles point Tuesday, winning first and third doubles, while UAlbany won at the second spot.  In singles competition, the Highlanders won four out of six contests cruising to a 5-2 victory in the home finale.

Seniors Ksenia Kuzmenko and Jana Luste were 8-2 winners at first doubles, topping UAlbany's Cheryl Kukkonen and Alba Sala.  Kuzmenko led at first singles over Kukkonen 6-1, 2-0 before the match was retired due to injury.

Hannelore MacDonald and Nathalie Habegger won at third doubles, 8-6, topping Kristen Scott and Cathryn Crummey.  Habegger was a straight set winner at fourth singles defeating Great Danes Paulina Torres, 6-1, 6-3.

Senior Martina Tripcovici, who returned back to the court on April 4 against Manhattan after undergoing shoulder surgery last fall, gradually moved up her spot in singles competition from six singles to the second spot Tuesday.  Tripcovici went the distance against UAlbany's Mireille Hermans winning the first frame, 6-2, but dropped the second set 7-6(5).  Tripcovici came out on top in the final frame, 7-5, to earn the point.  In the last five outings, the senior from Montreal, Canada, is 5-0.

Carolina Zanotta was a straight-set winner at sixth singles with  7-5, 6-3 victory over Crummey.

The NJIT women's tennis team, whch was accepted as an associate member of the America East Conference in February 2014, will compete in the postseason America East Conference championships to be held April 25 to April 27 in Baltimore, Maryland.

Being an associate membership in the America East offers a championship opportunity for the six members of the NJIT team in the Class of 2014. In 2011 and 2012, their first and second years, respectively, the Highlanders were champions of the Great West Conference, which did not conduct a women's tennis championship in 2013 due to not having enough teams in the sport and then ceased operations entirely on July 1, 2013. The Great West champion did have an automatic berth in the NCAA Tournament.
 
 
NJIT def. Albany 5-2
Doubles
1. Kuzmenko/Luste (NJIT) vs. Kukkonen/Sala (Albany) 8-2
2. Hermans/Torres (Albany) def. Melibeu/Zanotta (NJIT) 8-7(6)
3. MacDonald/Habegger (NJIT) def. Scott/Crummey (Albany) 8-6
Singles
1. Ksenia Kuzmenko(NJIT) def. Cheryl Kukkonen (Albany) 6-1, 2-0 ret. Injury
2.Martina Tripcovici (NJIT) def. Mireille Hermans (Albany) 6-1, 6-7(1), 7-5
3.Kristen Scott (Albany) def. Jana Luste (NJIT) 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4
4. Nathalie Habegger (NJIT) def. Paulina Torres (Albany) 6-1, 6-3
5. Alba Sala def. Natalia Melibeu (NJIT) 6-3, 6-3
6. Carolina Zanotta (NJIT) def. Cathryn Crummey (Albany) 7-5, 6-3