NEWARK, N.J. — In its first home match of 2022, the NJIT women's tennis team dominated in a 6-1 victory over in-state foe Fairleigh Dickinson Friday evening at the Naimoli Family Athletic and Recreational Facility.

Playing with only five players - and conceding a doubles match and singles point because of it - the Highlanders won all seven of the matches that could be played to secure the win. 

Aya El Sayed and Sandra Dzhambazov tied the doubles portion at a match apiece with a swift 6-1 victory in the top flight and at No. 2, the duo of Amira Badawi and Joleta Budiman fended off FDU's Alena Kubanova and Namie Isago to earn a 7-5 win and secure the double point.

FDU stood tied at 1-1 once singles play started but NJIT quickly took the lead for good after a straight set shutout at No. 1 for El Sayed. Her 6-0, 6-0 win was NJIT's second of the season, following Budiman's win at No. 2 against Delaware on November 5, 2021.

Budiman, Shalom Salvi, Badawi, and Dzhambazov added to the Highlanders' margin of victory with straight sets wins of their own.

NEXT UP 
NJIT will close out the weekend with a neutral site match against Georgetown on Sunday, February 13 on the campus of Army West Point.

NJIT 6, Fairleigh Dickinson 1
2/11/2022 at Newark, NJ (Naimoli Center)
Singles competition
1. Aya El Sayed (NJIT) def. GULIA, Shreya (FDU) 6-0, 6-0
2. Joleta Budiman (NJIT) def. VOROZHEINKINA, A. (FDU) 6-4, 6-3
3. Amira Badawi (NJIT) def. KUBANOVA, Alena (FDU) 6-4, 6-4
4. Shalom Salvi (NJIT) def. LASHEEN, Amina (FDU) 6-4, 6-4
5. Sandra Dzhambazov (NJIT) def. ISAGO, Namie (FDU) 6-2, 6-2
6. BETTINELLI, Marta (FDU) def. Advaita Saravanan (NJIT), by default

Doubles competition
1. Aya El Sayed/Sandra Dzhambazov (NJIT) def. BETTINELLI, Marta/VOROZHEINKINA, A. (FDU) 6-1
2. Amira Badawi/Joleta Budiman (NJIT) def. KUBANOVA, Alena/ISAGO, Namie (FDU) 7-5
3. BHAGIA, Gauri/GULIA, Shreya (FDU) def. Shalom Salvi/Advaita Saravanan (NJIT), by default

Match Notes
Fairleigh Dickinson 1-2
NJIT 2-2