Seton Hall University
Quinnipiac Invitational
Tennis Completes Quinnipiac Invitational
9/15/2013 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 15, 2013
HAMDEN, CONN. - Sophomore Julia Keenan (Greenland, N.H.) came within one set of taking home a singles title from the Quinnipiac Invitational for the second consecutive year but was bested by Connecticut's Emma Alderman in a back-and-forth affair in the final.
Keenan recorded two victories on Saturday to advance to the B flight semifinals and remain in the main draw heading into the final day of competition. Up against conference rival Jennifer DeLuca of Providence in the semis, Keenan continued to display dominant form as she controlled the action during a 6-4, 6-1 win.
With the result, Keenan entered the championship match having dropped only 11 games through three matches.
Against Alderman, the Greenland, N.H. native claimed the first set, 6-3, before falling in the second, 2-6. With the championship to be decided in the third, Alderman was able to dictate the majority of the points and came away with a 3-6, 6-2, 10-3 victory.
The loss was just the second that Keenan has endured in 15 career singles appearances in the fall.
Her run to the final highlighted a weekend that featured 13 singles victories for The Hall as six of the seven SHU players that competed in singles posted wins.
Both senior Rocio Portela (Demetrio Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) and junior Madison Shoemaker (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia) closed the weekend with a three-match winning streak in consolation play while newcomers Hannah Liljekvist (Djursholm, Sweden) and Julie Martiny (Brussels, Belgium) picked up wins in their Pirate debuts as well.
Earlier in the weekend, Liljekvist and Shoemaker became the first Seton Hall doubles pair to reach the A flight final at the Quinnipiac Invitational - coming up just short of claiming the crown.
Junior Anna Guryanova (Moscow, Russia) also bounced back from a main draw loss to end her tournament in strong fashion; dropping only two games as she recorded dominant victories in her final two consolation matches.
The Pirates will get a week off from competition before resuming their fall schedule at the West Point Invitational on Friday, September 27.
