RIVERSIDE, R.I. -- The Simmons University women's tennis team was defeated by host Johnson & Wales University (R.I.), 9-0, this evening in Great Northeast Athletic Conference action at Centre Court in Riverside, R.I. The Sharks fall to 2-7 overall and 0-3 in league play, while the Wildcats improve to 6-3 and 2-1.

Senior Paola Rios (Miami, Fla.) won seven games at second singles for Simmons in a 6-4, 6-3 loss to Lauren Torre. Rios also paired with classmate Michelle Medici (South Portland, Maine) at number one doubles, but fell to the JWU pairing of Delaney Macchirole and Kourtney Moore, 8-0. Medici was beaten at third singles by Macchirole, 6-0, 6-1. Torre combined with Katherine Ledesma for an 8-0 win for the home team over the SU first year tandem of Sarah Mariski (Portland, Maine) and Megan McKeever (Stamford, Conn.) at number three doubles.

Sophomore Carrie St. Peter (Chester, N.H.) won four games for the Sharks at sixth singles, but fell to Gabriela Velazquez, 6-2, 6-2. Claire Parry won at first singles for the Wildcats with a 6-0, 6-1 win over Simmons junior Nickie Nguyen (Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam/Saint Joseph Preparatory (Mass.)). Parry earlier teamed with Drew Bobey to earn an 8-1 deicision over Nguyen and Sharks first year Sabrina Brown (Mason, N.H.) at second doubles. 

Moore was a winner for JWU at fourth singles, taking the match without dropping a game to Mariski in a 6-0, 6-0 victory to give the Wildcats the fifth and deciding point of the dual match and Bobey was a 6-2, 6-0 winner for Johnson & Wales over McKeever at fifth singles.

Simmons returns to action on Wednesday, October 3 when it hosts Colby-Sawyer College at Daly Courts for a 4:30 p.m. match, while the Wildcats travel to Quincy, Mass. on October 2 to take on Eastern Nazarene College at 3:00 p.m.