Sept. 12, 2009
WILLIAMSBURG, Va.; - In the second day of play at the 17th annual William & Mary Invitational, sophomore Maria Prishlyak (Kiev, Ukraine) handled Thaddea Lock of Marshall in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, to advance to the Flight E singles final on Sunday. As a team, the Nittany Lions earned five victories on the day.
In other singles action, senior Lauren McCarthy (Danbury, Conn.) fell to Erin Clark of Richmond, 6-3, 6-2, in the Flight A consolation draw. Junior Denisa Zobeideh (Weston, Fla.) had no problem with Kelly Holtzhausen of ETSU, defeating her, 6-4, 6-3 in the Flight B consolation draw. Freshman Amy Simidian (Carlstadt, N.J.) dropped a 6-0, 6-2 decision to Catherine Kellner of Marshall in the Flight B consolation draw.
Senior Sarah Lotto (Toronto, Ontario) jumped out ahead of No. 2 seeded Sandra Herrera of Winthrop win a 7-5 win in the first set of Flight C consolation semifinals. Herrera answered with a 6-1 victory in the second set, but Lotto took control from there, winning the super tiebreaker by a 10-7 margin. Freshman Sarah Henderson (Auckland, New Zealand) picked up another win for the Lions over Katie Blow of Virginia Tech, 7-5, 6-1, in the Flight D consolation draw.
Despite winning the second set, sophomore Michaela Stracar (Jericho, N.Y.) was defeated by Giovanna Portioli of Winthrop in the Flight D consolation draw, 6-2, 2-6, 10-4. In Flight E action, Riley Blanks of Virginia topped sophomore Allie Hefter (Longmont, Colo.), 6-2, 6-0.
McCarthy and Simidian squared off against Ragini Acharya and Anik Cepeda of William & Mary in the Flight A doubles consolation draw, falling by an 8-3 margin The Nittany Lion pair hung with Erin Clark and Helen Cunningham of Richmond in the consolation draw but were edged in a tight 8-6 match. Henderson and Lotto cruised by Katie Blow and Megan Conley of Virginia Tech in the Flight A quarterfinal, 8-3, and later fell to Sydney Grant and Kelly Tidwell of Richmond in the semifinal, 8-2.
In Flight B doubles, Sandra Herrera and Giovanna Portioli of Winthrop handed Stracar and Zobeideh an 8-5 loss. Stracar and Zobeideh hung with Riley Blanks of Virginia and Nataliya Krutiyenko of Maryland throughout the Flight B consolation draw, but fell in an exciting 9-7 battle. Hefter and Prishlyak subbed into the Flight B consolation draw due to an injury and were defeated by No. 1 seeded Maria Fuccillo and Neela Vaez of Virginia, 8-1.
The Nittany Lions conclude play at the William & Mary Invitational tomorrow. Following this weekend's competition, the Nittany Lions will have a few weeks off before heading to Pacific Palisades, Calif. the weekend of Oct. 2 for the pre-qualifying round of the All-American Championships. On Friday, Oct. 9, the Lions will head to Lexington, Ky. for the weekend to compete in the University of Kentucky Invitational.
William & Mary Invitational: Day Two Results
SINGLES
Flight A Singles
Consolation Draw: Clark (UR) def. McCarthy (PSU), 6-3, 6-2
Flight B Singles
Consolation Draw: Zobeideh (PSU) def. Holtzhausen (ETSU), 6-4, 6-3
Consolation Draw: Kellner (Marshall) def. Simidian (PSU), 6-0, 6-2
Flight C Singles
Consolation Semifinal: Lotto (PSU) def. Herrera (Winthrop), 7-5, 1-6, 10-7
Flight D Singles
Consolation Quarterfinal: Henderson (PSU) def. Blow (VT), 7-5, 6-1
Consolation Quarterfinal: Portioli (Winthrop) def. Stracar (PSU), 6-2, 2-6, 10-4
Flight E Singles
Semifinal: Prishlyak (PSU) def. Lock (Marshall), 6-3, 6-3
Consolation Draw: Blanks (UVA) def. Hefter (PSU), 6-2, 6-0
DOUBLES
Flight A Doubles
Consolation Quarterfinal: #3 Acharya/Cepeda def. McCarthy/Simidian (PSU), 8-3
Consolation Draw: Clark/Cunningham (UR) def. McCarthy/Simidian (PSU), 8-6
Flight B Doubles
Consolation Quarterfinal: Henderson/Lotto (PSU) def. Blow/Conley (VT), 8-3
Consolation Semifinal: Grant/Tidwell (UR) def. Henderson/Lotto (PSU), 8-2
Consolation Quarterfinal: Herrera/Portioli (Winthrop) def. Stracar/Zobeideh (PSU), 8-5
Consolation Draw: Blanks (UVA)/Krutiyenko (UMD) def. Stracar/Zobeideh (PSU), 9-7
Consolation Draw: #1 Fuccillo/Vaez (UVA) def. Hefter/Prishlyak* (PSU), 8-1
*injury substitution