WILLIAM ADAMS
Staff Writer
The women’s tennis team started the fall season Saturday, competing in two separate tournaments, both of which are individual and doubles events. Six Waves competed in San Diego State Fall Tennis Classic and captured fist and second places in singles and first and consolation in doubles, while sophomore Anete Bandere and seniors Bianca Dulgheru played in the Riviera All-American Championships.
“They had a great effort, a lot of team spirit and teamwork,” Assistant Coach Cintia Tortorella said. “They showed that they are mentally tough and that made us successful.”
At the Fall Tennis Classic, the Waves crushed their opponents. Freshman Anu Bhargava led the charge with her first place finish in Flight One singles, defeating Milou Teeling (University of San Diego), Eliska Krausova (San Diego State University), fellow Wave Alex Lilies, and Holly Bagshaw (SDSU), Bhargava only lost one set in her flight. Transfer junior Lilies also succeeded, losing only one match to the eventual flight winner, and her teammate Bhargava. Sophomore Tania Rice, who filled out the first flight for the Waves, fought hard to attain a 1-2 record.
In the second flight, sophomore Jill Braverman led the way, losing only one match on the way to earning a second place finish. Senior Raine Mitchell and sophomore Marigrace Marshall were unable to place.
Flight One doubles also became a showcase of Waves’ talent as the victories continued to pile up. Bhargava notched her second top finish of the day, pairing up with Rice to bring home first place for the Waves, defeating Lindstrand/Teeling (USD), Lee/Lin (Rice University), Yusupov/Bagshaw (SDSU), and Huh/Todorova (University of Arizona). Lilies and Braverman added to their accolades capturing the consolation final title. The ladies final group of Mitchell and Marshall represented the Waves well, but didn’t capture a top spot.
“Overall, it was a great tournament,” Tortorella said. “The competition was good, and the effort from everyone was great. It served as a good practice, and we gained a lot of confidence.”
In Pacific Palisades, Bandere, Dulgheru, and Kosakowski are playing as Pepperdine’s representatives in the prestigious Riviera All-American event. The outstanding performances that they had last season earned them All-American honors and entry into the event.
Bandere got the action started for the Waves, but was unable to win her qualifying match, losing in three sets to a very skilled Klara Jagasova from the University of Texas at Arlington.
Dulgheru and Kosakowski began action on Tuesday in singles events, with Dulgheru losing her first match and Kosakowski losing her second. Both were eliminated from singles play. The senior players pair up and began their doubles match play today.
After the All-American tournament, the Waves next action will be the Midland Racquet Club Invitational in Midland, Texas, which begins Oct. 18.
10-04-2007
