COLUMBIA, MD—The NJIT women's tennis team upset second-seeded Binghamton, 4-3, at the 2014 America East Conference women's tennis semifinals Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Highlanders advance to the championship match against top-seeded Stony Brook, the two-time defending champion, Sunday at 2 pm.

In a regular season meeting, Binghamton edged NJIT, 4-3, at the Naimoli Family Athletic and Recreational Facility on March 8.

The Bearcats jumped out in front Saturday with an 8-2 victory at third doubles, as the Bearcat duo Sara Kohtz and Katya Medianik topped NJIT's Hannelore MacDonald and Nathalie Habegger.  The Highlanders responded with wins at first and second doubles to earn the doubles point.
 
Third-seeded NJIT won #1 doubles, as Ksenia Kuzmenko and Jana Luste teamed for an 8-4 victory. The Highlanders took second doubles as the Brazilian duo of Natalia Melibeu and Carolina Zanotta prevailed, 8-6.
 
Binghamton went on to tally two points in singles play. At #6, Kristen Soeder of the Bearcats topped Highlander Carolina Zanotta 6-2, 6-0. Kohtz, at the second spot, came up with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Martina Tripcovici of NJIT.
 
NJIT responded with a point at first singles, as senior Kuzmenko came up with a straight-set victory (7-5, 6-1) over Katya Medianik.
 
Highlander Nathalie Habegger went the distance at the fourth spot, coming out on top with a 6-2, 4-6, 6-4 victory over Binghamton's Annie DiMuro 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1. NJIT and the Bearcats split at fourth and sixth singles respectively.

Kuzmenko (#1), Habegger (#4), and Melibeu (#5) were the singles winners for NJIT, with those three points, combined with the win of the doubles point accouting for the hard-fought Highlanders win.

The last singles match to end was in the fifth slot, with Melibeu battling back from dropping the opening set (2-6) for wins in the next two, 7-5, 6-2. Her win also pushed NJIT through to Sunday's championship match.
 
NJIT, which is in its first season as an associate member of the America East for women's tennis, is aiming for the title in its first try, with the winner earning an automatic qualifying berth in the NCAA Division I championship tournament field.

The Highlanders were champions of the Great West Conference in women's tennis in both 2011 and 2012, but that conference did not have an automatic qualifier into the NCAA field. In 2013, the Great West, lacking enough member schools with women's tennis, did not have a championship for the sport and the conference ceased operations altogether on July 1 that year.

Stony Brook presents an imposing obstacle to the championship. As mentioned, the Seawolves were AE champs in both 2012 and 2013 and they are having another fine year in 2014. On April 13 at Stony Brook, the home team beat NJIT, 6-1. Stony Brook won both the doubles matches that were completed by comfortable scores and only Tripcovici at #3 singles prevailed for the Highlanders. However, first and fourth singles went to three sets and sixth singles, though straight sets, was close (6-4, 7-6, 3)

The tournament is being hosted by America East member UMBC at the Wilde Lake Tennis club.

NJIT Def. Binghamton 4-3
Doubles:
1. Kuzmenko/Luste def. Brodsky/Tashiro (B) 8-4
2. Melibeu/Zanotta def. DiMuro/Ambrozy (B) 8-6
3. Medianik/Kohtz (B) def. MacDonald/Habegger 8-2
Order of finish: 3, 1, 2

Singles
1. Ksenia Kuzmenko def. Katya Medianik (B) 7-5, 6-1
2. Sara Kohtz (B) def. Martina Tripcovici 6-1, 6-0
3. Alexis Tashiro (B) def. Jana Luste 6-7(6), 6-4, 6-1
4. Nathalie Habegger def. Annie DiMuro (B) 6-2, 4-6, 6-4
5. Natalia Melibeu def. Shea Brodsky (B) 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
6. Agatha Ambrozy (B) def. Carolina Zanotta 6-2, 6-0
Order of finish: 2, 6, 1, 4, 3, 5