Saturday, April 22
Magnolia GC//Lake Buena Vista, Florida
10:00 AM
Quinnipiac University
vs
MAAC Championship
QU Women's Golf Extends Lead After MAAC Championship Second Round
4/22/2017 3:59:00 PM | Women's Golf
Freshman Alexandra Sazhin leads the field through 36 holes following 73 (+1) for second round
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Florida – The Quinnipiac University women's golf team increased its lead at the 2017 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference Championship at Disney's Magnolia Golf Course, jumping out to a nine-stroke lead over Albany with 18 holes to play.
"It was a good day on the golf course today," head coach John O'Connor said. "Alexandra [Sazhin] played spectacular, she had five birdies today and two double-bogeys but played incredible. Luciana [Tobia-Palza] was going along well and then stumbled at the end. Julia [Kemmling] and Estefania [Morales] were also great, so I'm very happy with the way things went today. It's tough to hold on with the last four or five holes here – they're very, very difficult. I'm excited to see how we do tomorrow and I'm very proud of our student-athetes."
The Bobcats combined to shoot the second-best round in the program's postseason history with a 307 ( 19) and featured four players in the top 10 after the 36th hole of the tournament. Freshman stand-out Alexandra Sazhin (New Fairfield, Connecticut) jumped eight spots on the leaderboard for a tie of first place. Luciana Tobia-Palza (La Paz, Bolivia) moved up five spots to third place while Julia Kemmling (Berlin, Connecticut) completed the second round in sixth place. Estefania Morales (Caracas, Venezuela) moved up four spots for a tie of 10th place.
The Bobcats started the second round just one stroke ahead of Monmouth after the first 18 holes but pushed its lead to nine strokes through 36 holes. Through two rounds, Quinnipiac is at 627 ( 51), followed by Albany (636, 60), Monmouth (641, 65) and Dayton (655, 79) to round-out the top five.
Sazhin shot the best round of the tournament on Saturday, carding a 73 ( 1), which also tied Quinnipiac single-round record set by Krissy Unger in 2011. The first-year Bobcat tabbed birdies on five holes, including two through the first six holes to put her at -2. A bogey on No. 7 put her at -1 for the front nine. She then followed with three birdies down the stretch but also bogeyed two holes to put her at 2 for the back nine and 1 for the day. Her 80 on Friday gives her a 153 ( 9) for the tournament.
Tobia-Palza was also on track to grab a share of the lead through the second round, but a troublesome trio of holes to close the day ruined the reigning Player of the Year's day. Tobia-Palza was -1 through the front nine and played even until hole No. 16, which she double-bogeyed, followed by bogeys on holes No. 17 and 18 that put her at 5 for the back nine and 4 for the day with a 76. Tobia-Palza also shot an 80 on Friday to put her at 156 ( 12) for the tournament.
Kemmling followed her first-day 79 ( 7) with a 79 on the second day to give her a 158 ( 14) for the first two days of the tournament. Kemmling opened play on Saturday with a pair of bogeys on holes No. 1 and 2. She then settled in and parred the next six holes before posting a birdie on No. 9 to hit the turn at 1. The second-year Bobcat shot 6 on the back nine for the second straight day to put her at 7 and in sixth place.
Morales moved up from 14th place to a tie for 10th after shedding three strokes off her previous day's score. Morales carded an 82 on Monday but worked her way to a 79 through the second 18 holes. Morales was 5 through five holes but birdies on holes No. 6 and 8 dropped her to 3 through the first nine holes. She then birdied hole No. 12 and shot par on four other holes to place her at 4 for the back nine.
Quinnipiac will resume play at Disney's Magnolia Golf Course for the final round of the 2017 MAAC Championship, which will be available live on ESPN3. The Bobcats will attempt to become the first team since Siena in 2010 and 2011 to win back-to-back conference championships.
"It was a good day on the golf course today," head coach John O'Connor said. "Alexandra [Sazhin] played spectacular, she had five birdies today and two double-bogeys but played incredible. Luciana [Tobia-Palza] was going along well and then stumbled at the end. Julia [Kemmling] and Estefania [Morales] were also great, so I'm very happy with the way things went today. It's tough to hold on with the last four or five holes here – they're very, very difficult. I'm excited to see how we do tomorrow and I'm very proud of our student-athetes."
The Bobcats combined to shoot the second-best round in the program's postseason history with a 307 ( 19) and featured four players in the top 10 after the 36th hole of the tournament. Freshman stand-out Alexandra Sazhin (New Fairfield, Connecticut) jumped eight spots on the leaderboard for a tie of first place. Luciana Tobia-Palza (La Paz, Bolivia) moved up five spots to third place while Julia Kemmling (Berlin, Connecticut) completed the second round in sixth place. Estefania Morales (Caracas, Venezuela) moved up four spots for a tie of 10th place.
The Bobcats started the second round just one stroke ahead of Monmouth after the first 18 holes but pushed its lead to nine strokes through 36 holes. Through two rounds, Quinnipiac is at 627 ( 51), followed by Albany (636, 60), Monmouth (641, 65) and Dayton (655, 79) to round-out the top five.
Sazhin shot the best round of the tournament on Saturday, carding a 73 ( 1), which also tied Quinnipiac single-round record set by Krissy Unger in 2011. The first-year Bobcat tabbed birdies on five holes, including two through the first six holes to put her at -2. A bogey on No. 7 put her at -1 for the front nine. She then followed with three birdies down the stretch but also bogeyed two holes to put her at 2 for the back nine and 1 for the day. Her 80 on Friday gives her a 153 ( 9) for the tournament.
Tobia-Palza was also on track to grab a share of the lead through the second round, but a troublesome trio of holes to close the day ruined the reigning Player of the Year's day. Tobia-Palza was -1 through the front nine and played even until hole No. 16, which she double-bogeyed, followed by bogeys on holes No. 17 and 18 that put her at 5 for the back nine and 4 for the day with a 76. Tobia-Palza also shot an 80 on Friday to put her at 156 ( 12) for the tournament.
Kemmling followed her first-day 79 ( 7) with a 79 on the second day to give her a 158 ( 14) for the first two days of the tournament. Kemmling opened play on Saturday with a pair of bogeys on holes No. 1 and 2. She then settled in and parred the next six holes before posting a birdie on No. 9 to hit the turn at 1. The second-year Bobcat shot 6 on the back nine for the second straight day to put her at 7 and in sixth place.
Morales moved up from 14th place to a tie for 10th after shedding three strokes off her previous day's score. Morales carded an 82 on Monday but worked her way to a 79 through the second 18 holes. Morales was 5 through five holes but birdies on holes No. 6 and 8 dropped her to 3 through the first nine holes. She then birdied hole No. 12 and shot par on four other holes to place her at 4 for the back nine.
Quinnipiac will resume play at Disney's Magnolia Golf Course for the final round of the 2017 MAAC Championship, which will be available live on ESPN3. The Bobcats will attempt to become the first team since Siena in 2010 and 2011 to win back-to-back conference championships.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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