CAMDEN, N.J. (Oct. 11, 2024) – The Rutgers University-Camden and Stockton University women's tennis teams quickly added a match to their fall schedules this week, agreeing to play here Friday in a match that didn't count in the New Jersey Athletic Conference schedule.
 
While the NJAC match will be played in Camden on April 5, Friday's match gave Stockton an early start to its brief two-match fall season, while Rutgers-Camden competed in its sixth match of the semester. With the Ospreys only bringing four players, the Scarlet Raptors already had a pair of forfeit wins in singles and a leg up in doubles with a forfeit victory at the third spot. Rutgers-Camden took advantage of those wins and went on to defeat the Ospreys, 4-3, giving 10th-year Raptor Head Coack Lloyd Pearson his first win ever against Stockton.
 
Rutgers-Camden was aided by the play of freshman Grace Albert, who picked up her first two collegiate wins. Albert, who will be a member of the Rutgers-Camden women's basketball team this winter, was playing her first collegiate match and picked up a 6-3, 6-1 win at fourth singles after combining for a 7-5 win at second doubles with freshman Jilliane Jaugan.
 
Stockton won at first doubles, 6-2, over the combination of junior Katie Moore and sophomore Bella Martinez. The Scarlet Raptors won third doubles by forfeit, with Stockton's lack of players to face the Scarlet Raptors' duo of junior Bryn Kelleher and freshman Emma D'Amico. That decision gave the Raptors a 2-1 advantage in doubles to earn the one point for doubles.
 
Stockton won the top three doubles against Jaugan (6-0, 6-0), Moore (6-3, 6-2) and Kelleher (6-0, 7-5), respectively, but Albert captured a 6-3, 6-1 victory at fourth singles. Coupled with forfeits at the fifth and sixth spot for junior Ashton Sirko and D'Amico, it was enough to lift Rutgers-Camden to the victory.
 
Rutgers-Camden returns to action Saturday when it plays a 12 p.m. match at York College of Pennsylvania. The women's team will complete a busy weekend on Monday when they host Lehman College at 12 p.m.