Tennis Closes Fall at Fordham
10/24/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - Saturday will mark the end of what has already been a highly successful fall season for the Seton Hall women's tennis squad as the Pirates will get their first crack at head-to-head action when they head to the Bronx to take on Fordham.
The Hall has thrived in the early part of the 2014-15 season despite facing the challenge of integrating four newcomers to the squad. In the last competition, newcomer Luize Liva Strike (Riga, Latvia) joined junior Hannah Liljekvist (Djursholm, Sweden) in advancing within the main draw at the ITA/USTA Northeast Regional Championship.
Strike is a part of a quartet that includes fellow freshmen Katie Kim (Honolulu, Hawaii), Marisa Quevedo (Tyler, Texas) and junior Isabell Klingert (Oberbalbach, Germany) that has helped transform the program while maintaining the momentum built during a 12-win spring that was the program's most successful thus far under head coach Greg Wyzykowski.
That version of the Pirates featured two senior standouts in Rocio Portela and Chloe Sher but Liljekvist garnered All-BIG EAST honors for her consistent high level play in dul matches and it was current junior Julia Keenan (Greenland, N.H.) who finished second on the team with 13 victories as a stalwart in the middle of the lineup.
Keenan's win total was bested only by Sher's 14 and Liljekvist finished in a tie for third on the squad with 11 triumphs in her first spring with the Pirates. Senior Madison Shoemaker (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia) also reached double-digits, recording 10 wins while classmate Anna Guryanova (Moscow, Russia) went unbeaten in two dual match appearances.
Seton Hall enjoyed steady results at the top-four positions, posting winning records from #1-#4 and with the additions of such a talented group of new faces, not only should the trend continue but their presence will serve to strengthen the fifth and sixth spots as well.
Doubles competition will be a key for the Pirates as Portela and Sher left as the winningest pair in program history, finishing with 12 victories at #1 in their final campaign.
Chosen to compete at the Northeast Regionals, the tandem of Quevedo and Strike could begin their own ascent up the program's all-time charts against the Rams. Keenan and Liljekvist moved into the round of 32 with an impressive win at the regionals and are shaping up as the pair that could lead the team's doubles efforts.
Fordham already has one dual match under its belt this fall, a 5-2 defeat of Division II Adelphi. The Rams swept doubles matches on the day and secured the team victory with wins at the second, fourth, fifth and sixth singles positions.
Sarah Ali, Destiny Grunin and Estelle Wong all contributed a singles point as well as a doubles triumph on the day.
Start-time between the Pirates and Rams is scheduled for Noon. Follow @SHU_Tennis on Twitter for updates and check SHUPirates.com for a recap of the matchup.
