University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Eastern Championships
Allen and Griffin Find Success Early at the Eastern Invitational
9/26/2009 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 26, 2009
WEST POINT, N.Y. - A weekend after earning a doubles title at the Quinnipiac Invitational, freshmen Julia Allen (Raleigh, N.C.) and Sarah Griffin (Cheshire, Conn.) continue to find their stride at the Eastern Invitational at Army on Friday. The duo earned a spot in the quarterfinal round of the second doubles bracket.
Allen and Griffin defeated opponents from Middlebury and Seton Hall en route to their quarterfinal match. The Connecticut duo is set to face Michaela Cerrone and Meghan Sullivan from Fairfield.
A mix of youth and experience was not enough for freshman Abby McKeon (Westford, Mass.) and junior Katie Moritz (York, Pa.) to win their doubles match against a pair from Bowdoin on Friday. McKeon and Moritz dropped an 8-5 decision only to reach the semifinals in the consolation bracket. With wins over opponents from Seton Hall and Sacred Heart, UConn's duo is set to face Middelbury's Hilary Cunningham and Blake Harries in the semis.
Sophomore Alexa Gregory (State College, Pa.) had the most success of the Huskies in singles action with a pair of wins in the fourth bracket to earn a spot in the quarterfinals. Gregory first defeated Alyssa Puccinelli (Middlebury) in three sets before earning a 6-1, 6-2 decision over Natalie Duckor from Quinnipiac.
Gregory will face Stony Brook's Prerana Appineni who defeated opponents from Seton Hall and Fairfield in straight-sets to earn her spot in the match.
Also in the fourth flight, freshman Lauren Wilmarth (Andover, Mass.) lost her three-set match to Ksenia Chernyshova (Faifield). Wilmarth will face Minh Evans from Pittsburgh in the quarterfinal round of the consolation bracket.
With a straight-set decision in her favor, senior Alison Campitiello (Staten Island, N.Y.) advanced to face Rhode Island's Tristany Leikem to fight for a spot in the quarterfinals. Campitiello was unable to get past Leikem, falling 6-2, 6-4
Senior Kelley LoRusso (Shoreham, N.Y.) had an early exit from the first singles bracket with a 6-0, 7-5 loss to Bucknell's Tania Varela who advanced to the quarterfinals with a three-set win over Emily Lombardi of Bowdoin LoRusso fell in her consolation match to Lauren Bates from Binghamton.
In the second flight, sophomore Emily Herb (Cherry Hill, N.J.) fell in three to Seton Hall's Belfin Subul. After taking the first set (6-2), Herb lost the match 6-4, 10-6. She earned a bye in the first consolation round and will take on Stony Brook's Paola Rodolfi who lost a three set decision to Pitts Adela Aprodu in the first round of the second flight.
Play continues on Saturday morning and will conclude on Sunday.
Players Mentioned
