Seton Hall University
ITA Regional Championship
Portela and Sher Highlight Trip to USTA/ITA Regionals
10/21/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Oct. 21, 2013
CAMBRIDGE, MASS. - The Seton Hall University tennis team completed its fourth tournament of the fall over the weekend as four Pirates were selected to play amongst the best in the region at the 2013 USTA/ITA Regional Championships hosted by Harvard University.
Senior co-captains Rocio Portela (Demetrio Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) and Chloe Sher (Tin Shui Wai, Hong Kong) delivered the best performance of their four trips to the regional tournament, posting wins in their first two doubles matches to advance to the round of 16 for the first time.
In the first round, the two SHU veterans combined to overmatch Cornell's previously unbeaten pair of Marika Cusick and Ryann Young, dropping only two games in a convincing 8-2 victory. Next Seton Hall's top team drew a match with a senior duo of Sharissa Ryan and Monica Yajima of Fairfield who had cruised in the first round with an 8-0 win over the only tandem that BIG EAST member Providence had selected to the field.
Once again, Portela and Sher, who were seeded 15th out of 64 doubles pairs to receive an invitation, controlled the action and ultimately ousted their opponents by virtue of an 8-5 triumph. On Sunday, the two narrowly missed securing a berth in the quarterfinals, falling in a tiebreak to Boston College's squad of Borr/Wacnick, 7-8 (1).
Borr and Wacnick were the #3 seed in the tournament.
With their performance, combined with the rest of their efforts this fall, Portela and Sher have positioned themselves to be in the conversation when the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) announces its regional doubles rankings in January. They previously advanced to the quarterfinals of the West Point Invitational followed by a semifinals appearance at the USTA Women's College Invitational.
The emergent doubles pair of junior Madison Shoemaker (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia) and sophomore Hannah Liljekvist (Djursholm, Sweden) was also selected to compete but were forced to withdraw after Liljekvist picked up an injury in qualifying singles play.
The injury unfortunately derailed what was developing into a dominant showing for Liljekvist, who has provided an added weapon for head coach Greg Wyzykowski in her first two months at The Hall after transferring from Saint Mary's (CA) following her freshman campaign.
Up a set and holding a 3-0 advantage in the second in her first qualifying match against Nadia Smergut (Stony Brook), an aching Liljekvist dropped the next four games and ultimately withdrew.
Sher was accepted into the singles main draw and drew Army senior Jamila Paul in the first round. After losing the first set, 1-6, she was able to double up Paul, 6-3, in the second. Paul rebounded to take the third, 6-2 however, eliminating Sher from the tournament.
The squad will wrap up its fall schedule this weekend with a local trip to the NJIT Tournament. Play is scheduled to begin on Friday, October 25 and carry through Sunday, October 27 in Newark, N.J.
