WESTON, Mass. – For the second-straight season, Regis College junior Jessie Lord (Fall River, Mass.) has been named the New England Collegiate Conference Player of the Year in women's tennis, it was announced on Monday afternoon by the league offices. Freshman Katasha Jarvis (Mt. Vernon, N.Y.) was named the NECC Rookie of the Year, marking the second time a member of the Pride has earned that distinction.
Lord was joined on the All-Conference First Team Singles squad by Emily Rice (Pittsfield, Mass.) and Erica Murphy (Portsmouth, N.H.). Lord and Murphy were also named to the All-Conference Doubles First Team, as were Rice and Katasha Jarvis.
Jessie Lord becomes the second player to repeat as the NECC's top player after Abigail Wehr did it for the Pride in 2012 and 2013. Regis has earned at least a share of the NECC Player of the Year award for four straight seasons, while winning two of the last three NECC Rookie of the Year awards.
The junior co-captain Lord helped lead Regis to their fourth-straight NECC Championship by going 11-3 in singles play this year, including a 10-0 mark in NECC matches. Lord was 8-3 overall at No. 1 singles and added a 3-0 mark at No. 2 singles. She was only forced to a third set twice this season in conference play, winning both matches, and only gave up more than three points in a set nine times out of 22 sets played. Lord and Murphy combined to go 10-0 at No. 1 doubles in conference play this year, and went 14-0 overall.
Katasha Jarvis went a perfect 10-0 in NECC singles play this year at the No.4 position, and went 13-1 overall in her first season of collegiate tennis. Jarvis was never forced to a third set, and allowed only eight points in conference matches all season, winning seven matches by straight-set scores of 6-0, 6-0. Jarvis and Emily Rice combined to go 12-1 at No. 2 doubles this year, including a 10-0 mark in conference play. The duo allowed only 13 points in 10 matches, posting wins of either 8-0 or 8-1 in six matches.
Erica Murphy, the 2015 NECC Tournament MVP, posted a 12-2 mark in singles play this season, including a 9-1 mark in NECC matches. Murphy was 10-1 at No. 2 singles, while going a respectable 2-1 at No. 1 singles. She was only forced to a third set one time all year, dominating play the rest of the year by winning 15 of a possible 21 sets by scores of 6-0 or 6-1.
Rounding out the All-Conference selections was junior Emily Rice, the 2013 NECC Rookie of the Year. Rice was a perfect 10-0 in NECC matches at No. 3 singles, and posted a 13-1 mark overall. Rice was never forced to a third set all season in conference play, giving up only more than three points in one set all season. She won 14 of her 20 sets played by scores of either 6-0 or 6-1 in NECC action.
Sara Kanarkiewicz (Peabody, Mass.) was named to the newly-formed NECC All-Sportsmanship Team.
Regis captured their fourth-straight NECC Championship on Sunday afternoon, defeating Lesley University, 8-1. Erica Murphy and Emily Rice were named to the All-Tournament Singles Team, while Murphy, Lord, Jewel Medeiros (Rochester, Mass.) and Sara Kanarkiewicz were named to the All-Tournament Doubles Team.