WEST POINT, N.Y. – A trip up north for the 2025 Star Match did not go as expected for the Navy women's tennis team, as the Midshipmen lost, 4-1, to rival Army on Saturday afternoon at the Lichtenberg Tennis Center in West Point, N.Y.
 
Losing the Star for the first time in four years, the Mids dropped to 13-10 overall and 3-1 in Patriot League play, while the host Black Knights improved to 19-5 on the season and 5-0 in the league standings. The result also moves the 2024-25 Army-Navy Star Series presented by USAA to 12-11 in favor of Army, as Navy men's and women's outdoor track & field won their star meets on Saturday.
 
Doubles play opened with Jenna Sabile and Julia Kelly battled past senior Parvathi Shanker and freshman Grace Li for a 6-1 win on the No. 2 court. The No. 3 pairing of Isabella Brilliant and Madison Smith then pulled away from sophomore Manci Pal and rookie Emma Gu by winning the last three points in a 6-2 victory to secure the doubles point for Army, leaving the top court unfinished as senior Emily Tannenbaum and sophomore Olivia Fermo were making a comeback in a 3-3 match with Cooper Jackson and Paige Herremans.
 
Tannenbaum quickly tied the score for Navy with a No. 1 singles win over Jackson, 6-2, 6-0, but the Black Knights claimed the opening set on the other five courts to put themselves in driving position. Emma Sy gave the lead back to Army with her 6-3, 6-1 victory against freshman Molly Bellia in the No. 4 flight, while Vennmukiil Mathivanan defeated Gu, 6-1, 6-0, on the third court to put West Point on the verge of clinching the Star.
 
Sending the Black Knights into celebration was Sabile, who beat Li in a 6-2, 6-1 match at the No. 2 position and handed Army its first win over Navy in nearly 24 months.
 
Coach Keith Puryear Comments
"Congratulations to the Army team and staff on their Star victory. It's definitely not the result we wanted today. As Coach, I have to look inward to see what was needed on my part. When it came down to it, they played a much cleaner match than we did. We've got two more weeks of play before the Patriot League Championship."
 
"I feel confident that we'll use this experience as a learning tool. We must if we are to continue to progress towards the goals we have set for ourselves as a team."
 
Match Notes
• Navy fell to 9-14 in the all-time series with Army, with the Star Match record being tied at 6-6.
• Tannenbaum has won her last seven completed singles matches.
 
Up Next
Navy will play at league foe Loyola in a 3:00 p.m. match Wednesday afternoon in Baltimore, Md.