CHAPEL HILL, N.C.-- The Penn State women's tennis team took the courts in doubles and singles at day one of the Kitty Harrison Invitational. A rain delay pushed matches indoors and led to a late evening for the Nittany Lions.
"Today was a long day for the team, with rain most of the day," said head coach Chris Cagle. "We faced some strong competition, but that is why we are here. The doubles play in the morning had some bright spots for sure. We also had some strong points in our singles play. A major point is for us to take the experiences and keep learning and growing as a team."
Old Dominion Doubles
Frederikke Svarre (Copenhagen, Denmark) and Chelsea Sawyer (Clemmons, N.C.) defeated Holly Hutchinson and Brooke Pilkington, 7-6(5).
Samantha Smith (Cary, N.C.) and Shannon Hanley (Kensington, Md.) fell to Oleksandra Andrieieva and Yulia Starodubsteva, 6-4.
Gracey Hirsch (Cincinnati, Ohio) paired up with North Carolina State's Dylan Cannon, they took on Natalya Malenko and Nataliia Vlasova, falling 6-1.
South Carolina Doubles
Svarre/Sawyer were locked in a tight match with Ingrid Gamarra Martins and Mia Horvit, ultimately falling 7-5.
Hirsch/Cannon(NCSU) pushed Kennedy Wicker and Paige Cline to the brink, but came up just short, falling 7-6(2).
Smith/Hanley took on Megan Davies and Silvia Chinellato, losing 6-4.
William and Mary Doubles
Gabby O'Gorman (Gunnedah, N.S. Wales, Australia) and Olivia Rohrbacher (Sandusky, Ohio) defeated Lauren Goodman and Charlotte Madson, 8-4.
Olivia Ryan (Victoria, Australia) and Sydney Weinberg (Winchester, Mass.) defeated Vitoria Okuyama and Mila Saric, 8-4.
East Carolina Doubles
O'Gorman/Rohrbacher fell to Lisa Hofbauer and Alisa Diercksen, 8-4.
Ryan/Weinberg fell to Nastja Rettich and Hsia Ho Chiao, 8-4.
Duke Singles
O'Gorman was defeated by Kelly Chen, 6-1, 6-3.
Rohrbacher fell to Meible Chi, 6-1, 6-2.
Ryan fell to Kaitlyn McCarthy, 6-4, 6-2.
East Carolina Singles
Weinberg was the lone Nittany Lion to go up in singles against East Carolina. She was defeated by Annija Veinsteina, 6-0, 6-1.
North Carolina State Singles
Sawyer took on Alana Smith and fell, 6-3, 6-0.
Smith fought to a third set tiebreak against Liz Norman, but fell 6-1, 5-7, (10-4).
Hanley was defeated by Bianca Moldovan, 6-1, 6-2.
Svarre also took her match against Amanda Rebol to a third set, but lost 6-2, 5-7, (10-5).
Hirsch pulled out a win over Dylan Cannon, 6-4, 3-6, (10-8).
Play will continue tomorrow for the Nittany Lions in both doubles and singles action.
Keep up with the Penn State women's tennis team at GoPSUsports.com. For continued updates throughout the year, make sure to `like' our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/pennstatewten and follow our twitter @pennstateWTEN.
