Quinnipiac University
Quinnipiac University
QU Women’s Tennis has Strong Performance in Day One of Quinnipiac Invitational
9/16/2016 11:43:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Hamden, Conn. - Quinnipiac women's tennis senior Rachel Horton (Stamford, Connecticut) and freshman Layla Rodriguez (Rancho Santa Margarita, California) kicked off the Quinnipiac Invitational Friday afternoon with team-high three individual victories, the only Bobcats to go 3-0 on the first day of competition.
The Bobcats sent the doubles team of Young and Rachel Horton (Stamford, Connecticut) to the Flight "A" doubles semifinals while also sending the doubles team of Rodriguez and Sitilia Rencheli (Sarasota, Florida) to the Flight "B" doubles semifinals. The Bobcats also had five singles players advance to the second round of the tournament in their respective singles flights.
Opening up the day with doubles, Horton and Young picked up two strong victories in doubles to reach the semifinals. The Bobcat pair took on the Sacred Heart pair of Sabrina Navarro Lopez and Taylor Gurda, defeating the Pioneers doubles pair, 6-0. After advancing to the second round, Horton and Young faced off against Ryshena Providence and Clary Rodriguez and battled to a 7-6 victory in a tiebreaker set over the Drexel pair.
Horton followed her doubles performance with a win in her singles match against Providence's Jennifer DeLuca, 6-0 in straight sets. However, her doubles partner Young, lost in her singles match against Summer Walker of UConn, 6-2 and 6-3.
The Bobcat pair of Jennifer Lu (Cypress, California) and Proyfon Lohaphaisan (Santa Clarita, California) suffered a first round loss in doubles Flight "A" to Army West Point's pair in Melanie Allen and Genevieve McCormick, falling 6-4. Lu's struggles continued, as she also lost in her singles match against Army West Point's Rugile Valiunaite, 7-6 in a tiebreaker, 3-6 and 10-7. However, Lohaphaisan was able to advance to the second round in her singles match after defeating Adrianne Alfonso of Sacred Heart, 6-4 in straight sets.
In Flight "B" doubles, Rencheli and Rodriguez coasted to a 6-1 win over Jennifer White and Fiorella Coria of Drexel. In the second round, Rencheli and Rodriguez were able to cruise past the UConn pair of Shea Flanagan and Lou Regen, 6-2. Rodriguez was also able to earn her first career singles win after defeating Shelby Vertula of Fairfield. Rodriguez fell behind in the first set 2-6, but was able to battle back in the last two sets, winning 6-3 and 10-6.
The Bobcat pair Alexandra Mircea (Glen Rock, New Jersey) and Amy Zammarieh (Trumbull, Connecticut) followed with a first round win over Gabriella Campos and Courtney Connors of Fairfield, 6-2. However, the pair fell in the second round to the Drexel pair of Ghita Benhadi and Kendra Bunch, 6-2.
Mircea was able to earn a singles win later, defeating Whitney Weisberg of Fordham 6-2 and 6-3. Freshman Nicole Katzarkov (Coral Gables, Florida) lost in her first career match to Zaina Zaki of UConn, battling to a 6-4 and 6-3 defeat. Senior Kelsi Oliphant (Calgary, Alberta) rounded out the day for the Bobcats with a win over Tori Oates of Sacred Heart, 6-2 in straight sets.
The Quinnipiac Invitational kicks back up again on Saturday, Sept. 17 at 9 A.M. with the semifinals of doubles starting off the day, before main draw singles and consolation singles are played for the remainder of the day.
Flight "A" Doubles:
Horton/Young (QU) def. Navarro/Gurda (Sacred Heart): 6-0
Horton/Young (QU) def. Providence/Rodriguez (Drexel): 6-3
Flight "B" Doubles:
Mircea/Zammarieh (QU) def. Campos/Connors (Fairfield): 6-2
Benhadi/Bunch (Drexel) def. Mircea/Zammarieh (QU): 6-2
Rencheli/Rodriguez (QU) def. Coria/White (Drexel): 6-1
Rencheli/Rodriguez (QU) def. Flanagan/Regen (UConn): 6-3
Flight "A" Singles:
Valiunaite (Army West Point) def. Lu (QU): 7-6 (5), 3-6, 10-7
Horton (QU) def. DeLuca (Providence): 6-0, 6-0
Flight "B" Singles:
Walker (UConn) def. Young (QU): 6-2, 6-3
Rodriguez (QU) def. Vertula (Fairfield): 2-6, 6-3, 10-6
Flight "C" Singles:
Lohaphaisan (QU) def. Alfonso (Sacred Heart): 6-4, 6-4
Zaki (UConn) def. Katzarkov (QU): 6-4, 6-3
Flight "D" Singles:
Oliphant (QU) def. Oates (Sacred Heart): 6-2, 6-2
Mircea (QU) def. Weisberg (Fordham): 6-2, 6-3
Players Mentioned
