Sept. 15, 2013
MIDLAND, Texas - Freshman Samantha Tutelman (New York, N.Y.) fell to Baylor's Blair Shankle 6-5, 6-2 in the championship of the consolation draw at the Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational Sunday afternoon. The Nittany Lions left Texas with 12 victories under their belt including three on the final day of action.
"I felt like the team improved throughout the weekend," head coach Dawna Denny Wine said after the tournament. "I am especially proud of Sam for having a great first tournament."
The tournament began Friday with singles matches. In the first round senior Chelsea Utting (Peachtree City, Ga.) knocked off Shannon Beckett of Texas State after falling behind early winning, 3-6, 6-2, (1-0). Sophomore Jacqueline Zuhse (Boca Raton, Fla.) also started her fall season off with a victory topping Abiline Christian's Micah Hermsdorf, 7-5, 6-1.
Also in the first round of the singles draw, Michaela Capannolo of Pepperdine defeated Devan McCluskey (Kent, England) 6-2, 6-2, and Tutelman was topped by McKenzie Craft of Baylor. Following their opening matches, both McCluskey and Tutelman went on a run in the back draw with McCluskey knocking off three consecutive opponents and Tutelman winning four consecutive matches.
Teaming up for the first time together McCluskey and Zuhse knocked off McKenzie Craft and Kiah Generette of Baylor 8-6 to move on to the next round. Utting and Tutelman faced Seda Arantekin and Millie Nichols of TCU but could not get the victory falling in a tight match, 8-7. In the second round McCluskey and Zuhse were bested by Texas Tech's Beatriz Santos and Sam Czarniak 8-5.
In the second round of singles Utting was knocked out of the tournament by Tulsa's Rongrong Leenabanchong 7-5, 6-4. Zuhse fell to the tournament 13-seed Alison Ho of Rice 6-2, 6-4. In her next match Maggy Lehmicke of conference rival Nebraska topped Utting 6-3, 6-2 in a pickup match and Zuhse was defeated in her first pickup match by TCU's Hanna Victorsson 7-6(5), 6-4.
McCluskey got her revenge against Santos in the first round of the back draw knocking out the Red Raider 6-2, 6-3. Tutelman won her first match dominating Brittney Reed of Abilene Christian 6-0, 6-0. In the next round McCluskey knocked off Giada D'Ortona 6-0, 3-6, (1-0) and Tutelman was victorious winning 6-1, 6-2 against Czarniak.
In their final matches Saturday both McCluskey and Tutelman were victorious moving on to the semifinals Sunday. McCluskey advanced after beating Nebraska's Brittany Brewster and Tutelman moved into the remaining four with a 1-6, 7-6, (1-0) win over Belen Ludena of Kansas.
On Sunday Utting faced Kim Anicete besting the senior from Rice in straight sets, 6-0, 6-1. Zuhse also won her final match of the tournament topping Maria Santanna of Tulsa 6-4, 6-2.
Tutelman moved into the consolation championship with a 6-5, 6-2 win over Katy Collins of Texas State. The win makes it two years in a row that the Nittany Lions have a player in the back draw championship in Midland having had Carmen Sandor (Toronto, Canda) bring home the championship last year. McCluskey had the chance to make it an all-Penn State final but Baylor's Blair Shankle put a wrench into her plans winning 6-2, 6-2.
In the final Shankle held off Tutelman winning a close, hard-fought first set 6-5 before taking the second set and the championship. Despite the 6-5, 6-2 loss in the final, the freshman made a big splash in her first collegiate action leading the Nittany Lions with four singles victories over the weekend.
The rest of the Nittany Lions squad will make their season debuts when they head to Philadelphia to compete in the Cissie Leary Invitational Friday. This is the third year in a row Penn State has been invited to play in the tournament hosted by the University of Pennsylvania.
Full Tournament Results
Singles
First Round:
Michaela Capannolo (Pepperdine) def. Devan McCluskey (PSU), 6-2, 6-2
Chelsea Utting (PSU) def. Shannon Beckett (TSU), 3-6, 6-2, (1-0)
Jacqueline Zuhse (PSU) def. Micah Hermsdorf (ACU), 7-5, 6-1
McKenzie Craft (Baylor) def. Samantha Tutelman (PSU), 6-1, 6-2
Second Round:
Rongrong Leenabanchong (Tulsa) def. Chelsea Utting (PSU), 7-5, 6-4
Alison Ho (Rice) def. Jacqueline Zuhse (PSU), 6-2, 6-4
Consolation First Round:
Devan McCluskey (PSU) def. Beatriz Santos (TTU), 6-2, 6-3
Samantha Tutelman (PSU) def. Brittney Reed (ACU), 6-0, 6-0
Consolation Second Round:
Devan McCluskey (PSU) def. Giada D'Ortona (UTA), 6-0, 3-6, (1-0)
Samantha Tutelman (PSU) def. Sam Czarniak (TTU), 6-1, 6-2
Consolation Quarterfinals:
Devan McCluskey (PSU) def. Brittany Brewster (NEB), ?-?, ?-?,
Samantha Tutelman (PSU) def. Belen Ludena (Kansas), 1-6, 7-6, (1-0)
Consolation Semifinals:
Blair Shankle (Baylor) def. Devan McCluskey (PSU), 6-2, 6-2
Samantha Tutelman (PSU) def. Katy Collins (TSU), 6-5, 6-2
Consolation Finals:
Blair Shankle (Baylor) def. Samantha Tutelman (PSU), 6-5, 6-2
Non-Tournament Matches:
Maggy Lehmecke (NEB) def. Chelsea Utting (PSU), 6-3, 6-2
Hanna Victorsson (TCU) def. Jacqueline Zuhse (PSU), 7-6(5), 6-4
Chelsea Utting (PSU) def. Kim Anicete (Rice), 6-0, 6-1
Jacqueline Zuhse (PSU) def. Maria Santanna (Tulsa), 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
First Round:
Seda Arantekin/Millie Nichols (TCU) def. Chelsea Utting/Samantha Tutelman (PSU), 8-7
Devan McCluskey/Jacqueline Zuhse (PSU) def. McKenzie Craft/Generette (Baylor), 8-6
Second Round:
Beatriz Santos/Sam Czarniak (TTU) def. Devan McCluskey/Jacqueline Zuhse (PSU), 8-5