TULSA, Okla. - UCF, UConn and Temple were victorious in first-round action of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Women’s Tennis Championship, as all three teams advanced to Thursday’s quarterfinals.
No. 6 UCF 4, No. 11 USF 0
No. 6 seed UCF tallied a 4-0 victory over their in-state foes in a morning match played indoors due to rain.
The Knights took the doubles point with a 6-3 victory at No. 1 from Caroline Eberhart and Kennan Johnson over the Bulls’ Olga Martinez and Vera Bessonova, along with a 6-4 win at No. 3 from Cortney Cesarini and Monica Matias against Olaya Garrido-Rivas and Hailey Grillo.
The top three singles players for UCF tallied wins to close out the victory. Johnson won in straight sets at No.3 over Martinez (6-2, 6-2), followed by a win from Eberhart at No. 1 over Garrido-Rivas (3-6, 6-2, 6-3). The Knights closed out the match with a victory at No. 2 from Cesarini against Bessonova (6-4, 2-6, 6-4).
The Knights advance to face No. 3 Tulsa Thursday at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT.
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Doubles Competition (Order of Finish: 3,1*)
1. Caroline Eberhart/Kennan Johnson (UCF) def. Olga Martinez/Vera Bessonova (USF), 6-3
2. Clare Mendell/Sofia Baptista (UCF) vs. Juliana Cardosa/Jessica Cortes Chavez (USF), DNF
3. Cortney Cesarini/Monica Matias (UCF) def. Olaya Garrido-Rivas/Hailey Grillo (USF), 6-4
Singles Competition: (Order of Finish: 3,1,2*)
1. Caroline Eberhart (UCF) def. Olaya Garrido-Rivas (USF), 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
2. Cortney Cesarini (UCF) def. Vera Bessonova (USF), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4
3. Kennan Johnson (UCF) def. Olga Martinez (USF), 6-2, 6-2
4. Clare Mendell (UCF) vs. Juliana Cardosa (USF), DNF
5. Monica Matias (UCF) vs. Jessica Cortes Chavez (USF), DNF
6. Sofia Baptista (UCF) vs. Laura Argente Escamilla (USF), DNF
No. 8 UConn 4, No. 9 East Carolina 0
Eighth-seeded UConn recorded a 4-0 victory over East Carolina in a morning match played indoors at Case Tennis Center due to early-morning rain.
The Huskies took the doubles point with victories at No. 1 and No. 3. The Pirates won at No. 2 doubles as the tandem of Maria Gomez and Neena Wanko blanked Emma Alderman and Zaina Zaki 6-0. UConn responded with a 6-2 win at No. 1 from Maxene Weinberg and Srna Stosljevic over Michelle Castro and Nicole LaDuca before the Huskies captured the doubles point with a 6-4 victory from Yelyzaveta Pletnyeva and Summer Walker against Dana Gray and Katie Hoch.
UConn tallied three straight-set wins in singles play to close out the win. Pletnyeva blanked Gomez (6-0, 6-0) at No. 3, Stosljevic defeated LaDuca at No. 1 (6-4, 6-0) and Alderman closed out the 4-0 win by defeating Castro at No. 2 (6-3, 6-3).
The Huskies advance to face No. 1 seed Houston Thursday at 1 p.m. ET/Noon CT.
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Doubles Competition (Order of Finish: 2,1,3*)
1. Maxene Weinberg/Srna Stosljevic (UConn) def. Michelle Castro/Nicole LaDuca (ECU), 6-2
2. Maria Gomez/Neena Wanko (ECU) def. Emma Alderman/Zaina Zaki (UConn), 6-0
3. Yelyzaveta Pletnyeva/Summer Walker (UConn) def. Dana Gray/Katie Hoch (ECU), 6-4
Singles Competition (Order of Finish: 3,1,2*)
1. Srna Stosljevic (UConn) def. Nicole LaDuca (ECU), 6-4, 6-0
2. Emma Alderman (UConn) def. Michelle Castro (ECU), 6-3, 6-3
3. Yelyzaveta Pletnyeva (UConn) def. Maria Gomez (ECU), 6-0, 6-0
4. Summer Walker (UConn) vs. Sarah Sarjoo (ECU), UNF
5. Zaina Zaki (UConn) vs. Katie Hoch (ECU), UNF
6. Shea Flanagan (UConn) vs. Neena Wanko (ECU), UNF
No. 7 Temple 4, No. 10 Cincinnati 3
Seventh-seeded Temple stormed back from a 3-0 deficit to defeat Cincinnati Wednesday afternoon and advance to the American Athletic Conference Championship quarterfinals.
The Bearcats took the doubles point with victories at both No. 1 and No. 2. Cincinnati’s Lauren Bellinger and Kelly Poggensee-Wei opened the match with a 6-1 win at No. 1 over Temple’s Alina Abdurakhimova and Dina Karina before the Bearcat tandem of Katya Bure and Ali Miller downed Minami Okajima and Mariana Bedon 6-3.
Cincinnati took a 3-0 lead in the match thanks to wins at No. 3 by Miller over Karina (6-0, 6-4) and Bellinger over Okajima at No. 4 (6-2, 6-0). Temple would get a win at No. 6 from Anais Nussaume over Natalia Abdalla (6-2, 6-3), Monet Stuckey-Willis over Bure at No. 2 (7-6 [7], 6-1) and Abdurakhimova at No. 1 over Poggensee-Wei (2-6, 7-5, 6-2) to set up a winner-take-all match at No. 5 between the Owls’ Yana Khon and the Bearcats’ Hannah Wille.
Khon and Wille battled to a 7-6 win for Khon in the first set. The Owl freshman led 5-3 in the second set before Wille evened things at 5-5. Khon would close out the match with a 7-5 win in the second stanza to take the match for the Owls.
Temple advances to face No. 2 Tulane Thursday at 4 p.m. ET/3 p.m. CT.
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Doubles Competition (Order of Finish: 1,2*)
1. Lauren Bellinger/Kelly Poggensee-Wei (CIN) def. Alina Abdurakhimova/Dina Karina (TEM), 6-1
2. Katya Bure/Ali Miller (CIN) def. Minami Okajima/Mariana Bedon (TEM), 6-3
3. Natalia Abdalla/Hannah Willie (CIN) vs. Monet Stuckey-Willis/Rebecca Breland (TEM), DNF
Singles Competition (Order of Finish: 4,3,6,2,1,5*)
1. Alina Abdurakhimova (TEM) def. Kelly Poggensee-Wei (CIN), 2-6, 7-5, 6-2
2. Monet Stuckey-Willis (TEM) def. Katya Bure (CIN), 7-6(7), 6-1
3. Ali Miller (CIN) def. Dina Karina (TEM), 6-0, 6-4
4. Lauren Bellinger (CIN) def. Minami Okajima (TEM), 6-2, 6-0
5. Yana Khon (TEM) def. Hannah Willie (CIN), 7-6, 7-5
6. Anais Nussaume (TEM) def. Natalia Abdalla (CIN), 6-2, 6-3