University of Connecticut Athletics
University of Connecticut
Quinnipiac Invitational
Huskies Start Strong at QU Invitational
9/15/2019 8:01:00 PM | Women's Tennis
HAMDEN, Conn. – The UConn women's tennis team opened their fall season over the weekend competing at the Quinnipiac Invitational. A pair of Huskies in senior Cassie Chung (Vancouver, British Columbia) and sophomore Mireille Moreau (Warwick, Quebec) both advanced to the finals of their respective flights while the team.
"The team was really looking forward to starting the season, and the Quinnipiac Invite was a great start," stated director of tennis Glenn Marshall. "Three of our new freshman got their first college wins, and they competed very well. We posted a solid team singles record of 13-8, while reaching two singles finals. I am very pleased with the results and the teams effort this weekend."
In A Flight, Moreau won her first match, beating Ana Joyner from Army in a three-set comeback, 4-6, 6-4 and 10-8. She took the momentum from that win and won her second match of the tournament, beating Amanda Nowak of Fairfield, 6-1 and 6-1. In the semifinal round of action, Moreau took on QU's Andie Williams and advanced to the finals thanks to a 6-3, 6-3 win. There, she came up short falling to BU's Erica DiBattista, 6-4 and 6-2.
Classmate Julieanne Bou (Bayamon, Puerto Rico) won a convincing 6-2, 6-0 decision in her first match of the bracket, beating Providence's Vannelie Melendez. Bou advanced into the semis with a default win thanks to an illness forcing out a player from QU. In her semifinal match-up with BU's DeBattista, she fell 6-2 and 6-2.
In the B Flight, Chung opened singles play in the B Flight by beating Payton Bradley of Quinnipiac, 6-0 and 6-1. She kept it rolling in her second match, and held off Steph Dolehide of Army, 6-3, 7-6 (3) to get to a semifinal match-up with Emily Kim of BU. Chung outlasted Kim in three sets, battling her way to a6-2, 0-6, 10-1 victory.
Sophomore Luciana Rabines (Barcelona, Spain) won her opening match in the flight over SHU's Adrianne Alfonso, 6-1 and 7-5 but dropped her quarterfinal match with Army's Bou, 6-1 and 6-4. In C Flight, rookie Denise Lai (Setauket, N.Y.) got a great start to her tournament in the C Flight, winning twice on Saturday to get to the semifinal round. Lai beat Fairfield's Emily Lombardi, 6-2 and 6-3, and then won a three-set battle in her quarterfinal match with Jordan Bradley of QU. Lai rebounded from dropping the first set, 6-3 to win 6-3, 10-6. Facing Army's Hannah Boubel in the semis, she fell short of a final appearance losing a tough three-setter, 5-7, 6-2 and 10-5.
Freshman Doga Selen Takunyaci (Istanbul, Turkey) won her first collegiate singles match, beating Bryant's Manuela Gomez Estrada in the opening match, 6-2, 7-6 (5). She fell short in her second match, losing to Army's Sasha Incauste, 6-1, 6-1. Fellow freshman Caroline Cook (Naples, Fla.) got her first collegiate win by beating Anna Komer of Fairfield in the consolation bracket, 8-4.
In doubles, the tandem of Bou and Chung advanced to the finals of the A Flight before falling. The duo went 3-1 in the bracket and opened their run with a 6-4 win over BU's DiBattista and Kim. They earned a spot in the semifinal by beating Army's Joyner and Gilbert, 6-3, and got to the final by defeating Fairfield's D. Prinos and Bakaite, 6-3. The two came up short in the final, losing to BU's Yaloz and Buchell, 6-1.
In the B Doubles flight, the team of Rabines and Lai made a run to the semifinals before also falling to a team from BU. The duo opened with a 6-2 win over Bryant's Bergeron and Oropez and then made it into the semifinal round by winning 6-2 over Quinnipiac's Rodriguez and Zammarieh. Rabines and Lai saw their run end by Kostirko and Martens from BU in a tough 6-4 decision.
The Huskies return to action next weekend when they take part in the Purdue Invitational.
Players Mentioned
