Divisional doubles champs crowned at 2014 USTA/ITA National Small College Championships
Fritschken/Onila of Barry repeat as Division II women's doubles winners
 |
|
Division II champs Linda Fritschken and Emma Onila (left) of Barry and runners up Dora Andrejski and Lena Lutzeier of Armstrong State
|
Eight doubles champions were crowned, led by the defending Super Bowl champions Linda Fritschken and Emma Onila from Barry. The pair defeated Armstong State's Dora Andrejski and Lena Lutzeier 6-2, 6-1 to defend its title. The full list of champions on Friday includes:
Division II Women's Doubles: Linda Fritschken/Emma Onila (Barry)
Division II Men's Doubles: Daniel Riggs/Paolo Volpicelli (Lynn)
Division III Women's Doubles: Caroline Ward/Katie Kuosman (Claremont-Mudd-Scripps)
Division III Men's Doubles: Jordan Mayer/Aaron Skinner (Trinity)
JuCo Women's Doubles: Joanna Savva/Paige Murdock (Tyler Junior College)
JuCo Men's Doubles: Celestin Nkoueleue/Sam Slade (Georgia Perimeter)
NAIA Women's Doubles: Anastasia Baranova/Kateryna Shkot (Oklahoma Baptist)
NAIA Men's Doubles: Deni Zmak/Jaime Sanchez-Canamares Rios (Embry-Riddle)
Embry-Riddle's Deni Zmak also repeated, winning the NAIA doubles title with Jaime Sanchez-Canamares Rios. With the win, Zmak and Sanchez-Canamares clinched the 10th national NAIA championship for the Eagles.
 |
|
JuCo champs Sam Slade and Celestin Nkoueleue (left) of Georgia Perimeter and runners up Gabriel Evans and Arturo Pinazo of Laredo
|
Also repeating as champion was Tyler Junior College's Joanna Savva, who teamed up with Paige Murdock to knock off the top-seeded team of Paula Lopez and Paula Coyos in two tie-break sets to claim the JuCo women's doubles title. With their runner-up finish, Lopez and Coyos finished top three at this event for the second straight year.
The Oklahoma Baptist duo of Anastasia Baranova and Kateryna Shkot showed no quit in their 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 win on Thursday. After losing a one-sided first set, the pair battled back to win the second set against Lindsey Wilson's Alicia Rodriguez and Jessica King. The Blue Raiders raced out to a 5-1 lead in the third set, but No. 1 seeds Baranova and Shkot rattled off six straight games to earn the NAIA women's doubles championship. It was the second straight runner-up finish for King and Rodriguez at the USTA/ITA National Small College Championships.
 |
|
Caroline Ward and Katie Kuosman teamed up to win the Division III women's doubles title on Thursday
|
In men's singles play earlier in the day, unseeded players Guy Iradukunda of Seminole State and Nicolas Chua of Chicago advanced to the JuCo and Division III finals, respectively. Iradukunda bested reigning NJCAA Singles Champion and No. 1 seed Josh Page of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College in three sets, while Chua also won in three sets and will take on third-seeded Matthew Heinrich of Stevens in the championship match.
In women's singles action, seven of eight semifinal matches were won in straight sets. The only exception was in Division III, where Wisconsin-Whitewater's Megan Humphreys won sets one and three against Vassar freshman Kate Christensen to advance to the finals. Humphreys will play Johns Hopkins' Ashnaa Rao in the final in a match of unseeded opponents.
Defending Super Bowl singles champion Valentine Confalonieri advanced on Friday and will face No. 2 seed Dallas Zhang of BYU-Hawaii, who did not surrender a game in her semifinal match.
For complete coverage of the 2014 USTA/ITA National Small College Championships, including access to updated draws, please visit the official tournament page on ITAtennis.com. Follow the ITA on Twitter, @ITAtennis, for updates and news from Sumter (search for the hashtag #SmallCollegeNationals) and like us on Facebook to see photos.
About the Palmetto Tennis Center
The Palmetto Tennis Center is located inside Palmetto Park in Sumter, South Carolina, and is home to 24 state-of-the-art tennis courts, with lighting available for night play. Three on-site tennis pros and a progressive training program teach players from beginner to advanced levels spanning from players aged five and older. Other amenities include ball machines, stringing service, and a pro shop. Admission for regular play is free of charge. Visit the Palmetto Tennis Center website and follow tournament updates on their Facebook page.
About the ITA
As the governing body of collegiate tennis, the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which is comprised of nearly 1,700 men's and women's varsity coaches representing over 1,200 institutions, administers numerous regional and national championships and the ITA College Tennis Rankings for over 20,000 college varsity student-athletes at NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior College levels. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship. The official ITA web site is www.itatennis.com.
