Women's Tennis Concludes Fall Competition

USTA/ITA Midwest Regionals

Detroit Women’s Tennis

DETROIT (10/13/13) – In the opening qualifying round of the 2013 USTA/ITA Midwest Regional on Thursday at the Varsity Tennis Center in Ann Arbor, Mich. Irina Slizoskaya competed for the University of Detroit Mercy women's tennis team.

After falling behind early in the first set, Slizoskaya battled back to take a 5-4 advantage, including a chance a set point. However, Wisconsin's Lauren Burich rallied back to steal the set 8-6.

In the back draw of the qualifying singles consolation matches, Valery Kulikovskaya defeated Eastern Michigan's Maria Ribero in straight sets (6-2, 6-1), while Slizovskaya battled back in her second match of the day, but fell short to Pia Rygh of Toledo (6-4, 4-6, 1-0).

Day Two

In the singles main draw Nino Sujashvili fell victim to Jillian Rooney of Northwestern (6-1, 6-0), while Slizovskaya dropped two sets to Notre Dame's Molly O'Koniewski (6-3, 6-2) and Kulikovskaya ended up splitting her weekend coming up short in her final match against Katie Brozovich from Bowling Green (6-4, 4-6, 1-0).

In doubles play, the Titans 9-12 seed tandem of Sujashvili and Slizovskaya came into the weekend undefeated in doubles play, but fell to Marquette in the opening round of the main draw 8-2. Also, on the other side for UDM the team of Kulikovskaya and Viktoria Laskutova played their hearts out, but lost in three sets to the duo from Ohio State.

With the conclusion of the ITA Midwest Regional and the Bronco Invitational, UDM wrapped up the 2013 fall season.

Cleveland State Women’s Tennis

ANN ARBOR, Mich. – The Cleveland State women's tennis team concluded play at the ITA Midwest Regional Friday, with two teams competing in the Main Doubles Draw. The Vikings were represented by the tandems of Kara Sherwood/Mathilde Orange and Victoria Bensimon/Princess Gbadamosi.

"Overall we played some good doubles today, each team picked up a win and fought hard until the end of all four matches," head coach Brian Etzkin said. "Kara and Mathilde had a good first round match, and their draw in the second round was a bit unfortunate, but playing the best teams and competing against the best opponents is what we have to do to improve. Despite the tough matchup, Kara and Mathilde played well throughout the match, and in three of the games they had a combination of five break points – and if they capitalize on them each time it's a different match. Victoria and Princess lost their first round match, but played very well in their consolation match and I'm excited about their potential heading into the spring season."

In their opening round match, Sherwood and Orange claimed an 8-2 victory over Vanessa Madrigal and Tori Turner of Wright State, advancing to the Round of 32. Sherwood and Orange then went up against the top-seeded doubles team at the regional in their second round match, falling to Michigan's Emina Bektas and Brooke Bolender, 8-3.

Bensimon and Gbadamosi dropped their opening round match Friday, falling to IPFW's Marcy Huck and Kristine Lindal, 8-3. The duo then played a consolation match against Wright State's Linsey Verstrepen and Elaine Cloern, earning an 8-4 victory over the Raider duo.

"We got a good look at all of our players throughout the fall season, and the next time we step on the court will be for our first spring match," Etzkin said. "After the fall season, I'm really excited to see what this team can do during the spring and hopefully they all continue to improve throughout the break so that we are ready to go come January."

Cleveland State will now take a break from competition until the spring season, which begins at Penn State on January 18, 2014.

CSU Results

Main Doubles Draw
Sherwood/Orange (CSU) def. Madrigal/Turner (WSU), 8-2  - Round of 64
Betkas/Bolender (UM) def. Sherwood/Orange (CSU), 8-3 – Round of 32
Huck/Lindal (IPFW) def. Bensimon/Gbadamosi (CSU), 8-3 – Round of 64

Consolation Doubles
Bensimon/Gbadamosi (CSU) def. Verstrepen/Cloern (WSU), 8-4

Wright State Women’s Tennis

The Wright State women's tennis team competed over the weekend at the USTA/ITA Midwest Regionals in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

The Raiders open the spring portion of their schedule on Saturday, January 18, against Akron at the Five Season Dayton club starting at 7:00.

Qualifying Singles First Round
Brooke Rischbieth (Northwestern) def. Elaine Cloern 6-2, 6-0
Rebeca Mitrea (DePaul) def. Vanessa Madrigal 6-4, 6-1

Qualifying Singles Second Round
Emily Reuland (Bowling Green) def. Linsey Verstrepen 6-1, 6-0

Qualifying Singles Consolation Matches
Katie Brozovich (Bowling Green) def. Elaine Cloern 6-1, 6-2
Princess Gbadamosi (Cleveland State) def. Tori Turner 7-6, 6-0
Victoria Bensimon (Cleveland State) def. Vanessa Madrigal 3-6, 7-5, 10-9
Louise Kwong (Illinois) def. Elaine Cloern 6-1, 6-2
Janelle Prisner (Eastern Illinois) def. Linsey Verstrepen 6-3, 6-1
Julianne Gruber (Michigan State) def. Vanessa Madrigal 5-7, 6-2, 10-4
Mila Shustova (IPFW) def. Tori Turner 6-4, 6-7, 10-6

Main Draw Doubles First Round
Kara Sherwood/Mathilde Orange (Cleveland State) def. Vanessa Madrigal/Tori Turner 8-2
Jane Fennelly/Julie Vrabel (Notre Dame) def. Linsey Verstrepen/Elaine Cloern 8-5

Doubles Consolation Matches
Kathleen Hawkins/Nini Sujashvili (Western Michigan) def. Vanessa Madrigal/Tori Turner 8-2
Victoria Bensimon/Princess Gbadamosi (Cleveland State) def. Linsey Verstrepen/Elaine Cloern 8-4

Youngstown State Women’s Tennis

Ann Arbor, Mich. - The Youngstown State women's tennis team had a strong showing at the ITA Midwest Regionals held Friday-Sunday at the University of Michigan's Varsity Tennis Center.

In doubles play, Marta Burak and Margarita Sadovnikova won their first two doubles matches to reach the quarterfinals. In the round of 16, the Penguin pair knocked off seventh-seeded Nida Hamilton and Maddie Lipp of Northwestern.

The duo lost to Michigan's Ronit Yurosky and Sarah Lee, 8-4. Lee and Yurosky were the No. 2 seed and advanced to the finals.

"Margarita and Marta beat a top team from Northwestern and fell just short against the No. 46 ranked doubles team in the country," Head Coach Michael Sopel said.

Carolyn Jesko and Annina Brendel posted a 1-1 mark in doubles play.

In the singles bracket, Sadovnikova won the first set from Illinois' Alexis Casati before dropping the next two sets 6-1, 6-0. Burak won her opening match in straight sets over Marquette's Erin Gebes, 6-2, 6-2. Burak was eliminated following a tough 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (2) loss to Lee in the second round.

"Marta dominated the No. 2 player for Marquette and lost a heartbreaker to Sarah Lee," Sopel said. "Lee is the 59th-ranked player in the country so it was a great showing by her."

YSU ITA Midwest Regional Results

Singles Results
Burak (YSU) def. Erin Gebes (Marq) - 6-2, 6-2
Alexis Casati (Illinois) def. Sadovnikova (YSU) - 3-6, 6-1, 6-0
Sarah Lee (UM) def. Burak (YSU) - 6-2, 5-7, 7-6 (2)

Doubles Results
Ronit Yurovsky/Sarah Lee (UM) def. Burak/Sadovnikoa (YSU) - 8-4 (QF)
Burak/Sadovnikova (YSU) def. Nida Hamilton/Maddie Lipp (NU) - 8-6
Burak/Sadovnikova (YSU) def. Janelle Prisner/Sephora Boulbahaeim (EIU) - 8-7 (4)
Kristen Dodge/Annie Wierda (U-M) def. Brendel/Jekso (YSU) - 8-2
Brendel/Jesko (YSU) def. Chrissy Coffman/Katelyn Nguyen (Toledo), 8â€Â7 (1)

ITA Second Chance Regional

Green Bay Women's Tennis

ROCKFORD, Ill. (GreenBayPhoenix.com) – Nearing the end of the fall season, the Green Bay women’s tennis team was able to gain valuable experience at the Second Chance Regional hosted by Northern Illinois over the weekend.  Freshman Claudia Negron (Lima, Peru), just a week after winning a singles consolation title, continued to impress with a fourth-place finish in the Singles B bracket.

Negron started the regional off with a 6-3, 6-3 victory in the first round before facing eventual Singles B champion Jana Knoppe of UIC. Knoppe won 6-1, 6-0, sending Negron to the third-place game. She put up a valiant effort, but was forced to withdraw from the match due to injury, resulting in a fourth-place finish.

The Peru native was also impressive on the doubles side, paired with sophomore Stephanie Londre (Burlington, Wis.) in the Doubles A bracket. Facing an aggressive, net-minded duo from Illinois State, the Phoenix tandem fell in the first round, 8-1. Negron/Londre moved to the consolation side of the bracket, where they battled back from a 4-1 deficit to defeat Milwaukee’s Shannon/Pendelton in an 8-7 thriller. The tandem earned a sixth-place finish after an 8-2 loss in the ensuing round.

The Phoenix will have the weekend off before wrapping up the fall portion of the 2013-14 season on Oct. 25 at the NIU Invitational. The contest will be last invite Green Bay competes in until the spring season opener on Jan. 25 at Western Racquet and Fitness Club against South Dakota State.

Milwaukee Women’s Tennis

ROCKFORD, Ill. - Kristin Kurer claimed the title of the Singles D Flight on the final day of the Second Chance Regionals in Rockford.

Kurer wrapped up the crown with a 6-1, 6-1 win over Mariana Lacerda of UIC. With her performance over the weekend, Kurer also increased her career singles win total to 73, making her Milwaukee's all-time Division I leader.

In other Sunday action, Aerielle Pendleton fell in the title match of the Singles B Flight to Jana Knoppe of UIC. But, Kurer and Alysa Straub captured an 8-4 win over Carynne Lloys and Sabrine Navarro of Chicago State for third place in the Doubles B Flight.

This weekend marked the final fall events for the Panthers, who will return to match action for the traditional spring season in January.

UIC Women’s Tennis

ROCKFORD, Ill. - The UIC women's tennis team brought its fall season to a close Sunday in winning fashion after competing at the ITA Second Chance Regional at the Boylan Tennis Center.  The Flames claimed first place in the doubles B flight and in two singles brackets.

Over the course of the three-day tournament, seniors Jana Knoppe and Kathryn Sharples, sophomore Ann-Sophie Hahn and freshman Veronica Lacerda represented UIC by competing in both doubles and singles.

Knoppe and Sharples combined in doubles for the second time this season as they were set in the A flight.  The duo came away with a definitive 8-5 win against Northern Illinois' Haley Dekkinga and Stephanie McDonald in the first round and went on to defeat Wisconsin's Katie Hoch and Helen Rabot to advance to the championship match, but while competing for first place, Knoppe and Sharples fell in a close 8-7 match to Ali Dawson and Rocio Diaz.

In the B flight, Hahn and Lacerda also started off with a pair of wins after taking out Chicago State's Gema Bolado and Faith Huckabee, 8-1, and Milwaukee's Alysa Straub and Kristin Kurer, 8-4.  While positioned in the championship match of their bracket, the pair came out on the winning end of an 8-7 match against Marquette's Aleeza Kanner and Laia Hernandez.

Into singles, Sharples was set in the A flight, where she collected a first-round win against Illinois State's Madeliene Baillon in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.  In Sharples next match, she fell 7-6, 6-1 to Dekkinga and went on to capture a third-place finish over Milwaukee's Dana Shannon.

Knoppe took control of the B bracket, as she garnered a quick 6-3, 6-1 win against Rabot and another 6-1, 6-0 win versus Green Bay's Claudia Negron to move on to the title match.  While up against Milwaukee's Aerielle Pendleton for first place, Knoppe won the flight after blanking Pendleton 6-0, 6-0.

UIC continued to show strong performances, as Hahn held down the C flight after coming away with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Chicago State's Hanna Pangestu and ousted Northern Illinois' McDonald.  Hahn then garnered another flight win for UIC with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Hernandez.

Lacerda represented in the final bracket, D, and took a pair of straight-set victories against Green Bay's Noel Peck, 6-0, 6-3, and Northern Illinois' Ilse Pacheco, before coming back to compete in the championship match, where she suffered a 6-1, 6-1 loss to Kurer.

With the conclusion of their fall slate, the Flames will now wait to begin the 2014 dual season, which is scheduled to kick off Jan. 25 against Marquette in Milwaukee, Wis.

Bronco Invitational

Detroit Women’s Tennis

Titans who did not qualify for competition at the ITA Midwest Regionals, traveled to Kalamazoo, Mich. to compete in the Bronco Invitational

In the doubles main draw the senior duo of Julia Fernandes and Raina Halabi dropped their opening match to IPFW (8-5), but battled back to take down IUPUI (8-4) in the second match, before coming up short in their final match against Dayton (8-5).

In black singles play, Fernandes swept IUPUI 6-4, 7-6 (6) and capped off a three set thriller against IPFW 2-6, 6-4, 1-0 (5).

Elena Strakhova competed in the gold singles bracket, splitting her two matches. In her first match, Strakhova swept IUPUI's Swartwood 6-2, 6-2, but fell to Oakland's Celis 6-4, 6-1.

With the conclusion of the ITA Midwest Regional and the Bronco Invitational, UDM wrapped up the 2013 fall season.

Oakland Women’s Tennis

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - Karine Celis was victorious both in one singles and one doubles match Saturday in the final day of action at Western Michigan's Bronco Invitational.

"We had opportunities to play some big teams," said head coach Heather Redshaw. "We were able to hold our own and we'll build on this for the spring."

In doubles, Celis paired with Elizabeth Guy for an 8-6 win over IUPUI's Bobbi Modesto and Julie Brockman. The Oakland duo was bested earlier in the day by Western Michigan's Caroline Aleck and Yuriko Ono, 8-6. Oakland's doubles teams of Maxime Colen/Tamara Blum and Rebecca Phyle/Juliana Guevara went 0-2 in doubles on Saturday.

Celis captured a 6-4, 6-1 victory over Detroit's Elena Strakhova in the Gold Singles flight. In the White Singles flight, OU's Blum registered a 6-2, 6-1 win over Raina Halabi of Detroit. Guevara tallied Oakland's final singles victory of Saturday's action with a 7-6 (8), 7-5 win over Western Michigan's Ono.

Oakland will be away from intercollegiate competition until the spring season.

Titan Invitational | Detroit Men’s Tennis

DETROIT (10/12/2013) -- It was a beautiful day in the Motor City, perfect for some tennis action and UDM took advantage of the warm weather as the University of Detroit Mercy men's tennis team captured the Titan Invitational on Saturday at the Titan Tennis Courts at the James K. Campbell Complex.

Detroit totaled 10 points in its two matches with Wayne State and Grand Valley, with WSU earning nine and GVSU three.

UDM had to work hard against city-rival Wayne State as the Titans beat the Warriors, 4-3. Detroit and WSU split the singles matches as sophomore Patryk Koscielski defeated Michael FitzGerald, 6-1, 6-3, at third singles, while sophomore Rafael Orantes won at five over Trey Keating, 6-0, 7-5, and freshman Chance Conley downed Ryan Carlson at No. 6, 6-4, 6-1.

In doubles, senior Bobby Cawood and freshman Ismail Kadyrov won at the top spot with an exciting 8-7 (4) score, while Orantes and Koscielski cruised to an 8-2 triumph at No. 3.

The Titans then battled Grand Valley and were able to take control of the Lakers right from the start winning five of the seven singles matches to secure the match and the points, 6-2.

Junior Jay Joshi got behind early in his match, but was able to overcome that in defeating Andrew Darrell, 4-6, 6-4, 10-8, at No. 2.

Koscielski also got off to a slow start, but he too would fight back to oust Billy Heckman, 7-5, 6-1, at No. 3. Orantes had no trouble with Michael Kaye at No. 5 earning a 6-1, 6-2, triumph, while Conley was victorious at No. 6 over Ben Esh-Nauta, 6-2, 6-0.

Freshman Matt White then posted his first collegiate win, 6-1, 7-6 (4), against Andrew Heuerman at seventh singles.

The doubles portion was not played and a point was given to Detroit to wrap up the win.

The Titans will be back in action next week, Oct. 17-21, as they play in the ITA Midwest Regionals in Columbus, Ohio.

Detroit vs. Wayne State (UDM won 4-3)

Singles
Bobby Cawood vs. Stephane Robineau - L (6-7 (3), 3-6)
Jay Joshi vs. Clement Charriere - L (2-6, 3-6)
Patryk Koscielski vs. Michael FitzGerald - W (6-1, 6-3)
Ismail Kadyrov vs. Melvin Joseph - L (7-5, 5-7, 3-10)
Rafael Orantes vs. Trey Keating - W (6-0, 7-5)
Chance Conley vs. Ryan Carlson - W (6-4, 6-1)

Doubles
Cawood/Kadyrov vs. Jospeh/Robineau - W (8-7 (4)
Joshi/Conley vs. FitzGerald/ Charriere - L (5-8)
Orantes/Koscielski vs. Keating/Carlson - W (8-2)

Detroit vs. Grand Valley State (UDM won 6-2)

Singles
Bobby Cawood vs. Francis Bertrand – L (4-6, 4-6)
Jay Joshi vs. Andrew Darrell – W (4-6, 6-4, 10-8)
Patryk Koscielski vs. Billy Heckman – W (7-5, 6-1)
Ismail Kadyrov vs. Jack Heiniger – L (2-6, 6-7 (3)
Rafael Orantes vs. Michael Kaye – W (6-1, 6-2)
Chance Conley vs. Ben Esh-Nauta – W (6-2, 6-0)
Matt White vs. Andrew Heuerman – W (6-1, 7-6 (4)

Doubles - Not Played (Point awarded to Detroit)

Wayne State vs. Grand Valley State (WSU won 6-1)

Singles
Stephane Robineau vs. Francis Bertrand – W (6-4, 6-4)
Clement Charriere vs. Andrew Darrell – W (6-1, 6-0)
Michael FitzGerald vs. Billy Heckman – W (7-5, 6-2)
Melvin Joseph vs. vs. Jack Heiniger – W (6-4, 0-6, 10-4)
Trey Keating vs. Andrew Bole – W (5-1, default)
Ryan Carlson vs. Michael Kaye – L (4-6, 1-6)

Doubles
Jospeh/Robineau vs. Darrell/Heiniger – W (8-1)
FitzGerald/Charriere vs. Bertrand/Heckman – W (8-5)
Keating/Carlson vs. Heuerman/Esh-Nauta – L (3-8)

Final Score
Detroit 10 Points, WSU 9 points, GVSU 3 Points