West Haven, Conn. – In what came down to the final match between Nicole Mika (Staten Island, N.Y./Laurel Springs) and Liria Loria at second singles, the New Haven tennis team dropped a closely contested match at the hands of Franklin Pierce on Wednesday afternoon, 4-3 at the New Haven Tennis Courts.

The Chargers earned the doubles point on the afternoon by way of wins at the number two and three slots. The freshmen pairing of Katherine MacPhail (Park City, Utah/Judge Memorial Catholic) and Alexa Orlando (Frederick, Md./Middletown) won in the third doubles match 6-3, followed by junior Lilia Rodriguez (Bayamon, Puerto Rico/Colegio Marista) and freshman Kacie Banks (Marietta, Ga./Marietta) winning 7-5 at the number two position.

Banks continued to shine on the young season, winning her second straight singles match in straight sets 6-3, 6-0. Orlando earned the other singles point for the Chargers in the number five spot, 6-4, 6-4.

The Chargers will head to the Big Apple this weekend to compete in the International Tennis Association (ITA) Regionals at the Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. with action set to kick off on Friday, Sept. 13.