Results
ERIE, Pa. – The West Chester University women's tennis team kicked off the 2018 season over the weekend by participating in the ITA Atlantic Regional Championship at the Pennbriar Athletic Club.
OVERVIEW
The Golden Rams had strong individual performances across the board at the three-day event, highlighted by the duo of senior
Rylee Power (NEWTOWN SQUARE, PA/MARPLE NEWTOWN) and sophomore
Leandra Roelker (ALLENTOWN, PA./SALISBURY) leaving Erie as the winners of the consolation doubles bracket.
FRIDAY RUNDOWN
- Freshman Shannon Nixon (WYNCOTE, PA./CHELTENHAM) was the lone Golden Ram in action on the opening evening, as the Wyncote native squared off against Salem's Brianna Vazquez in a play-in match inside the B singles bracket. In her first competitive match of the season, Nixon was able to dismiss Vazquez in straight sets (6-2, 6-1) to advance to Saturday's action.
SATURDAY RUNDOWN
Doubles
- The sophomore tandem of Julia Mowery (BETHLEHEM, PA./NOTRE DAME) and Elaina Rochford (WEST CHESTER, PA./HENDERSON) kicked off Saturday with a convincing 8-0 victory Salem's Brianna Vasquez/Shelby Turpin in B doubles. The West Chester duo went on to drop a heartbreaking 8-6 decision in the next round at the hands of Sophie Bygrave and Eva Garcia from Bluefield.
- Nixon and senior Sofia Von Der Heyde (EXTON, PA./GREAT VALLEY) got off to hot start in their B-doubles run, claiming 8-1 victories over Edinboro's Jelena Vucenovic/Payton Tomasko and Bluefield's Paula Saez/Milica Krnjaja, to book the WCU tandem a date with a group from IUP in the quarterfinals. Despite the great start, Nixon and Von Der Heyde would drop their quarterfinals match 8-1 to IUP's Mariana Velezuela/Maria Magraner – a pairing that would eventually go on to win the title.
- Seeing the first action of their collegiate careers, the freshman duo of Danisa Erriad (JAKARTA, INDONESIA/ES INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL) and Alyssa Skulsky (CHURCHVILLE, PA/COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH H. S.) dropped their opening match of A doubles 8-4 to the team of Julia Piatek/Karolina Glowinska from Salem. In backdraw, Erriad and Shulsky saw their days end following after dropping a 7-5 decision by Fairmont States' Isadora Skulsky/Trinite' Klamadji.
- Power and Roelker saw a first-round exit in A doubles after falling 8-3 to Slippery Rock's Viola Lugmayr/Lois Page. Coming off their loss the Slippery Rock, Power and Roelker bounced back with a hard-fought 7-6 (5) win over IUP's Laura Dunarova/Julia Newman to push the WCU duo into the quarterfinals of the A doubles consolation bracket.
Singles
- The Golden Rams notched four singles victories to start Saturday's action, as Power, Skulsky, Mowery, and Rochford all won their opening matches in straight sets.
SUNDAY RUNDOWN
Singles
- After being knocked out of the main draw, Nixon and Roelker both won their opening matches in the B singles consolation and advanced to take on each other in the second round. Roelker defeated her teammate 4-2, 4-1 before moving on to defeat West Liberty's Alexandra Olson 4-3, 4-0 in the semifinals to earn a spot in the B singles consolation final. Roelker eventually fell in the finals to West Liberty's Laura Huwe (4-0, 4-0), but this match proved to not be the last time Roelker found herself in a final on Sunday afternoon.
Doubles
- The finals of the A doubles consolation bracket was all set, as WCU's Power/Roelker were scheduled to battle Mercyhurst's Emily Gordon/Athina Tsagkaraki. Due to scheduling conflicts, Tsagkaraki (who was in the B singles final) was unable to join her teammate Gordon in the doubles final, so it was decided that the Mercyhurst duo would forfeit the match, which meant the West Chester team was awarded the title by default.
NEXT UP
- The Golden Rams return to action next weekend at the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Individual Championships in Bloomsburg. The tournament will be held at the Burt Reese Tennis Center and will run from Saturday (Sep. 29) – Monday (Oct. 1).
