PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The top-seeded Rhode Island College women’s tennis team captured the 2025 Little East Conference (LEC) Women’s Tennis Championship Tournament title with a 4-2 victory over third-seeded UMass Boston Saturday at the RIC Tennis Center. RIC senior Erica Botelho was named the 2025 LEC Championship Tournament Most Outstanding Player.
 
This marks the LEC-record 12th tournament championship win for the Anchorwomen, who improved to 15-0 for the season and secured the LEC’s automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in May. This is RIC’s first conference tournament title win since 2021.
 
The Beacons, who were the three-time defending LEC champions, are now 11-5 overall this season. It was the fourth consecutive year the two teams met in the LEC tournament final.
 
RIC needed to win four singles matches to win the match after dropping two of three doubles bouts to the Beacons. Emily Houwers got the Anchorwomen on the board with a 6-1, 6-2 win at No. 4 over Althea Bradley, and Botelho evened the match score at 2-2 with a 6-1, 6-3 decision at No. 3 over Tatiana Malone.
 
Haylie Peacock put the Anchorwomen in front 3-2 with her 6-3, 7-5 victory over Sandra Watson at No. 2 just before Li Hsiu Hou secured the championship win with her 7-5, 6-1 triumph over Karina Khalsa at No. 6.
 
Zainab Patel won the lone singles point won for UMass Boston, posting a 6-2, 6-0 win over Ariana De Thomas at No. 1. That win put the Beacons ahead 2-1 at the time of the decision.
 
Doubles saw the Beacons’ No. 3 team of Khalsa and Mya Rubinstein cruise to a 6-1 wn over Addison Hadlock and Faith Owren before RIC drew even with 7-6 (7-4) win at No. 2 by De Thomas and Houwers over Bradley and Malone. UMass Boston clinched the doubles point when Patel Watson defeated Botelho and Peacock at No. 1, 7-6 (8-6).
 
The lone singles match to go unfinished was at No. 5. Owren took the opening set 6-4, while Rubinstein led 4-3 in the second set.