Tennis Heads to West Point Invitational

Sept. 26, 2013

SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - The Seton Hall tennis team will hit the road this weekend, stopping in upstate New York to take part in the West Point Invitational.

The trip marks the second of five fall tournaments on the schedule and will take place at the United States Military Academy over three consecutive days, beginning Friday, September 27.

The Pirates last competed at the season-opening Quinnipiac Invitational before receiving last weekend off from competition.

The SHU showing at Quinnipiac was a strong one as six of the seven team members that participated in singles recorded at least one victory. Sophomore Julia Keenan (Greenland, N.H.) was dominant in her run to the B flight final, dropping only 11 games in three matches prior to the championship. Up a set in the title match, Keenan ultimately fell in three to Connecticut's Emma Alderman.

Senior Rocio Portela (Demetrio Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) and junior Madison Shoemaker (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia) also posted three wins at QU, closing their weekends unbeaten in consolation play. Junior Anna Guryanova (Moscow, Russia) also put together consecutive victories in the consolation bracket, coming out on top in her final two appearances.

Newcomer Hannah Liljekvist (Djursholm, Sweden) and freshman Julie Martiny (Brussels, Belgium) each added individual wins in their Pirate debuts to give The Hall a total of 13 for the tournament.

Liljekvist and Shoemaker highlighted a doubles effort that featured victories for three of the four Pirate pairs; becoming the first Seton Hall tandem to reach the "A" flight final at the QU Invite in their first competition together.

SHU had another duo competing for the first time as a team in Keenan and Martiny and the two underclassmen combined to advance to the B flight semifinals behind two hard-fought victories.

Portela and fellow senior and co-captain Chloe Sher (Tin Shui Wai, Hong Kong) also recorded a victory in the "A" flight, adding to a career total that already ranks atop Seton Hall's all-time doubles wins list.

Leading up to this weekend's action, Portela and Sher each assessed the how the squad fared in its first taste of competition in 2013 and also discussed the team's committed approach to training and how it will help the Pirates heading into the West Point event. To view their comments, click HERE

Seton Hall will be one of 14 teams competing this weekend at Army, joining the host Black Knights as well as Albany, Bryant, Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, Fordham, Illinois, LIU-Brooklyn, Marist, Quinnipiac, Sacred Heart, St. Peter's and Stony Brook.

Play will begin on Friday at 9:00 a.m. and conclude with finals in both singles and doubles to be held on Sunday.

For updates throughout the weekend, don't forget to follow @SHU_Tennis on Twitter.