Seton Hall University
No. 3 Xavier (Quarterfinal)
Tennis Falls to No. 3 Xavier, 4-1
4/25/2014 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
April 25, 2014
FLUSHING, N.Y. - The Seton Hall tennis team came up short in quarterfinal action at the 2014 BIG EAST Championship presented by NEW YORK LIFE as the sixth-seeded Pirates dropped a 4-1 decision to No. 3 Xavier at the US National Tennis Center on Friday afternoon.
The result moves Seton Hall (11-10) into the consolation portion of the bracket where the squad will take on No. 10 Butler on Saturday while the Musketeers (18-5) advance to face second-seeded Marquette in the semifinal round.
Seton Hall's lone point came courtesy of a straight-set victory by sophomore Hannah Liljekvist (Djursholm, Sweden) who bested Xavier's Alex Brinker, 6-3, 6-1 in their second singles matchup. The win was the 10th that Liljekvist has recorded from the top-two positions in the lineup in a dual match setting during her first season at The Hall. Her effort also increased her win total against conference opponents to three, tying her for the second-most on the team this spring.
The defeat stopped a four-match winning streak for Brinker who posted a 7-2 record at #2 during the regular season.
Classmate Alex Landert (Naples, Fla.) rallied from a first set loss to pull level in her sixth singles match against Lizzie Oosterbaan prior to play being halted with the team result decided. Landert remains unbeaten in her last four appearances, a stretch that includes two straight-set wins and a comeback victory over BIG EAST foe Puck Vlaskamp of St. John's.
Seton Hall most successful player against league opposition with four wins in five outings during the regular season, senior Rocio Portela (Demetrio Vega Baja, Puerto Rico) was also in the midst of her singles match when competition was stopped. Penciled into the #3 slot from which she registered eight wins this spring, Portela pushed the Musketeers' wins leader Cristina DiLorenzo to 12 games in the first set and was even in the second frame with the score sitting at 3-3.
Xavier moved out to an early 1-0 advantage by prevailing at the second and third positions to claim the doubles point. A triumph by Andrea Wolf over Seton Hall junior Madison Shoemaker (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia) at #5 followed but Liljekvist helped The Hall narrow the gap to 2-1 with her win. Xavier countered with victories in the fourth and first slots however, wrapping up the semifinal berth.
Seton Hall now readies for a meeting with a Butler squad that fell to Marquette on Friday after moving past No. 7 Creighton with a 4-1 opening round win. Play between the Pirates and Bulldogs is scheduled to begin around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday following the conclusion of championship draw matches.
A full preview will be available on SHUPirates.com
No. 6 Seton Hall 1, No. 3 Xavier 4
Doubles
#1. Brinker/Liggins (XU) leading Portela/Sher (SHU), 6-4
#2. DiLorenzo/Patton (XU) def. Keenan/Shoemaker (SHU), 8-6
#3. Westling/Wolf (XU) def. Landert/Liljekvist (SHU), 8-4
Order of Finish: 2, 3 (1 DNF)
Singles
#1. Sydney Liggins (XU) def. Chloe Sher (SHU), 6-1, 6-3
#2. Hannah Liljekvist (SHU) def. Alex Brinker (XU), 6-3, 6-1
#3. Cristina DiLorenzo (XU) leading Rocio Portela (SHU), 7-5, 3-3
#4. Daniella Patton (XU) def. Julia Keenan (SHU), 6-2, 6-4
#5. Andrea Wolf (XU) def. Madison Shoemaker (SHU), 6-0, 6-3
#6. Lizzie Oosterbaan (XU) tied with Alex Landert (SHU), 6-3, 2-6
Order of finish: 5, 2, 4, 1 (3, 6 DNF)
