The University of Alabama at Birmingham Athletics
UAB
ITA Regionals
Women's Tennis Completes Day One at ITA Regionals
10/22/2004 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Oct. 22, 2004
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. - The UAB women's tennis team opened up competition Friday at the Wilson/ITA South Regional Championships in Tuscaloosa. The ITA South Regional is one of 17 Division I ITA Regional Championships being held across the country during the final two weeks in October. More than 7,000 athletes and 600 schools participate annually in ITA Regional and National Intercollegiate Championships.
"This is the highest level of competiton these girls have faced so far this year," said UAB head coach Mert Ertunga. "Even though the results weren't great, I thought our effort was tremendous. Only positives will come from this experience and hopefully we'll do better tomorrow."
Three Blazers competed in Singles Draw A, including Julia von Samson who breezed past Georgia Southern's Ciara Finucane in straight sets before falling 6-3, 6-1 to fifth-seeded Mihaela Moldovan of Florida State in the second round. Gulsah Esen and Annemieke Elsholz also competed, but dropped straight-set matches in the opening round.
In Singles Draw B, Samrin Tanzeem had no trouble with Troy's Luz Angela Garcia, taking the match by a score of 6-2, 6-1. But Tanzeem struggled in the second round, falling to MSU's Renee Joseph in straight sets. UAB's Jana Wild won the first set of her match against Mississippi State's Hayley Rudman, 6-1, but Rudman rallied for a three-set victory. Ornischa Maier-Knapp and Seden Soyalp fell in straight sets in the opening round and after bye put Antonia Nugent into the second round, she was defeated 6-2, 4-6, 6-1 by FSU's Natalie Tirapelli.
On the doubles side, UAB's Draw A tandems of Nugent/Elsholz and Esen/Von Samson were defeated 8-6 and 8-4, respectively. But the Blazers Draw B pairings of Tanzeem/Wild and Maier-Knapp/Soyalp both advanced with victories.
Tennis action from the Wilson/ITA South Regional Championships continues all weekend in Tuscaloosa.
