Tennis Closes First Tournament in Convincing Fashion
9/19/2011 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
HAMDEN, CONN. - The final day of the 2011 Quinnipiac Invitational Tournament was a day of firsts for the Seton Hall tennis team.
Karina Cordero (Maracay Estado Aragua, Venezuela) captured her first Quinnipiac Invitational singles crown as she ran through a pair of Bobcats on their home courts on her way to the C flight title. The win continues a run of strong finishes for Cordero at this tournament as was the runner-up in the same bracket last year.
Cordero then teamed with her partner Courtney Kilarski (Roseville, Calif.) to take down Cantor/Launie from Quinnipiac 8-5 in the B flight doubles finals. This marks the first time Seton Hall has taken home a doubles championship at this tournament.
In D flight singles competition, freshmen Maria Del Rosario Rodriguez (Bogotá, Colombia) and Anna Guryanova (Moscow, Russia) capped what was an impressive first collegiate tournament for both. Rodriguez rebounded from a 1-6 first set loss, taking the next two 6-2, 11-9 to outlast Connecticut's Julia Allen and advance to the final match. The road to the final was a little smoother for Guryanova as she blanked Sacred Heart senior Kristin Legenza 6-0, 6-0 in her semifinal match.
In the all Pirate final, Rodriguez would best her doubles partner Guryanova 7-6 (4), 6-2 to secure the title in her collegiate debut.
Team captain Elizabeth Verow (Barnt Green, England) was also in action on Sunday, falling in straight sets to eventual champion Sarah Viebrock of Quinnipiac in the B flight singles semifinals.
In all, Seton Hall took home three out of six titles awarded at the tournament.
"Overall, I was pleased and encouraged with our play," said Head Coach Greg Wyzykowski. "We had a strong presence on the final day and our results improved from last year. I think that is a sign of the progress we are making."
The Pirates are back in action next weekend as they travel to the campus of the United States Military Academy in West Point, N.Y. to compete at the Eastern Intercollegiate Championships.
