Bearcats Compete in Main Draws at ITA Northwest Regional on Saturday
By Robert McKinney, Assistant Athletics Director, Communications
WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Action in the main draws at the ITA Northwest Regional in women's tennis got underway for all nine Northwest Conference teams on Saturday, Sept. 23. Eight Willamette University players competed in the main singles draw, while three Bearcat teams saw action in the main doubles draw. A total of 64 players filled the singles bracket, with 32 teams participating in doubles.
Sylvia Marr (Fr., Grants Pass, ORHidden Valley HS) of Willamette won her first round singles match against Sierra Lemon of Linfield in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1. In the second round, Anastaisa Redkina of Whitman, one of eight players tied for seeds 9-16, downed Marr, 6-0, 6-0.
Willamette lost its seven other main draw matches in singles, but five of the losses were to seeded players. Ella Riddle of Linfield, seeded #1 overall, downed Siena Ginsburg (Fr., Bend, OR/Summit HS) of Willamette, 6-0, 6-0. Natalie Kelly of Lewis & Clark College, one of the athletes sharing the 9-16 seeds, defeated Hannah Andres (Jr., Sammamish, WA/Skyline HS) of WU, 6-1, 6-0.
Christine Eliazo from L&C, tied for seeds 5-8, moved past Allie DiPasquale (Jr., Seattle, WA/Seattle Academy) of the Bearcats, 6-2, 6-0. Lisa Owen from University of Puget Sound also shared seeds 5-8. Owen downed Robin Pashek (Fr., The Dalles, OR/The Dalles-Wahtonka HS) of WU, 6-1, 6-3. Marisa Doveri of Linfield, tied for the 9-16 seeds, defeated Sarah Dean (Fr., Boise, ID/Timberline HS) of Willamette, 6-1, 6-0.
In a match between two strong players who were unseeded, Kelsey Bartlett of Linfield outlasted Mikaila Smith (Sr., Mill Valley, CA/Tamalpais HS) of the Bearcats, 6-3, 6-3. Adrienne Fox of L&C beat Alyssa Oberg of WU, 6-0, 6-0.
Two Willamette doubles teams picked up victories in the opening round of the main draw. Oberg and Dean rolled past Johanna Wilson and Rochelle Schoenthal of Pacific University, 8-0. Meanwhile, Ginsburg and Andres outscored Bridget Meyer and Claire Fitzgerald of Puget Sound, 8-6.
In WU's other first round doubles match, Whitman's team of Hanna Greenburg and Andrea Gu, seeded #3, defeated Smith and Pashek, 8-4.
Two seeded teams defeated the Bearcats in the second round of doubles. Kacey Incerpi and Josie LaGarza of Lewis & Clark, seeded #2, defeated Ginsburg and Andres, 8-1. Redkina and Kattie Pak of Whitman, tied for seeds 5-8, downed Oberg and Dean, 8-1. Incerpi and LaGarza, along with Redkina and Pak, advanced to the quarterfinals, which will be held on Sunday, Sept. 24.
Consolation Singles
Willamette picked up two wins and three Bearcats advanced with a bye in the consolation singles bracket on Saturday.
Ginsberg of WU defeated Danielle Brown of George Fox, 6-3, 6-2. Smith moved past Emily Sandquist of Whitworth University, 6-1, 6-0. Byes went to Andres, Pashek and Dean.
Also in the first round of consolation singles, Alexis Choy of Puget Sound defeated DiPasquale after a tie-breaker in the second set, 6-1, 7-6 (7-4), and Alyssa Byde of GFU downed Oberg by default due to an injury.
The consolation bracket will continue on Sunday.