PURCHASE, N.J. (October 7, 2015) – The Rutgers University-Newark women's tennis team battled hard in a tough 8-1 non-conference road loss at Purchase College Wednesday evening.
 
Leading the Scarlet Raiders was Urvi Shah who picked up a well-earned 7-6 (7-3), 6-3 win at No. 3 singles. Shah battled to take the first set in a tie-break before overpowering Caroline Haldeman in the second.
 
Purchase swept doubles play by 8-1 finals in all three flights. Pairings of freshmen Bryanna Thaxton/Jessica Smoot, Shah/Jamie Lee Buhain and Julibeth Hernandez/Kallah Masudi all showed fight in earning a game apiece.
 
Smoot came up with one game in a loss at No. 1 singles, with Thaxton battling until the end in a 6-0, 6-4 loss at No. 2. Shah won at three, with Buhain making a good showing in the fourth flight. The senior Raider was defeated 6-2, 6-4. Hernandez and Masudi also were defeated at five and six, but Hernandez won five games in all, and Masudi picked up three in the second set of her loss.
 
"This might have been the best tennis we have played all season," Head Coach Tom Battaglia said after the match. "We battled with some solid players today and are really showing improvement across the board. I hope it continues down the stretch."
 
Rutgers-Newark falls to 1-8 on the season, and Purchase improves to 5-4. R-N will return to competition on Thursday, October 15 at New Jersey Athletic Conference rival Kean University.