University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Wichita State
Huskies Lose Battle with Wichita State
4/17/2019 4:24:00 PM | Women's Tennis
ORLANDO, Fla. – The 2019 American Athletic Conference Tennis Championship got underway on Wednesday morning from the USTA National Campus in Orlando with the UConn Huskies taking on Wichita State in the opening round. The Huskies battled but came up short of advancing in the tournament, falling 4-0 to the Shockers.
"This was a great match against a very solid Wichita State team," stated head coach Glenn Marshall. "Our kids played their hearts out today, and we finished our season with our heads held high. The final score does not reflect how close this match really was."
In the opening doubles play the Huskies freshmen tandem of Julieanne Bou (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) and Mireille Moreau (Warwick, Quebec) battled their way to a 6-3 win over Esther Thebault and Sarvinoz Saidhujaeva in the No. 2 spot. The duo finished the year 4-2 playing together with Bou earning her team-best 20th doubles win on the season to improve to 20-11. Moreau won her 12th doubles match and was 12-8 on the year. "Our freshmen doubles team of Bou and Moreau had a great win at #2 today. We also had chances in the other doubles matches, but lost by a few points."
At No. 1, the No. 21 nationally ranked doubles team of Fatima Bizhukova and Marta Bellucco from Wichita State defeated UConn's team of senior Jacquelyn Fitz-Randolph (Tampa, Fla.) and freshman Luciana Rabines (Barcelona, Spain.), 6-2.
"In singles, we came out swinging and won the first set on three of the courts," said Marshall. "Laz was up in her match and one point away from winning, when the match was decided. Mireille and Cassie were both in close matches winning their first sets, when the final match finished. Julieanne fought back in her second set, but lost in a second set tiebreaker."
Moreau won her first set with Sandra Honigova at No. 2, 6-2, lost the second, 6-2 and was leading 2-1 in the third when the match was halted due to the clinch format. Junior Cassie Chung (Vancouver, British Columbia) won her opening set with Saidhujaeva, 6-4, and was up 3-2 in the second at No. 4 while senior Jacqueline Lazaro (Largo, Fla.) was one point away from winning at No. 5, taking the first set 6-4 and leading 5-3 in the second against Marta Bellucco.
"I am very proud of the team's effort today, they fought like Huskies," commented Marshall. "For our seniors, they have meant the world to me and our program. I am sad to see them finish their careers, but am so excited to see what the future holds for each of them."
Players Mentioned
