TicketsNov. 2, 2010
CINCINNATI - The University of Cincinnati tennis team completed its 2010 fall schedule and hopes to focus on improving for the upcoming 2011 spring season.
The Bearcats opened up their 2010 fall schedule with individual competition at the Bowling Green State University Invitational Sept. 18-19, where freshman Ashleigh Witte (West Chester, Ohio/Lakota West) made her collegiate debut for UC and won the No. 3 flight, capturing all three of her matches in straight sets.
Junior Saffiya Ismail (Mainesville, Ohio/Kings) and sophomore Elise Woulfe (Western Springs, Ill./Lyons Township) each posted strong performances of their own in the event, bringing home third-place finishes in the No. 2 and No. 5 flights, respectively. In doubles action, the pair of Ksenia Slynko (Odessa, Ukraine/Odessa) and Woulfe teamed up for the Bearcats top finish, nabbing third place in the No. 3 doubles flight.
The Bearcats continued their fall season with a stop in Bloomington, Ind. at the Hoosier Classic Sept. 24-26. Woulfe was triumphant in three straight matches en route to the No. 4 championship, while freshman Sabrina Jetli (Cleveland, Ohio) captured a third-place finish in the same flight after winning two of her matches. In doubles play, the Bearcats were led by Ismail and Jasmine Lee (Canton, Ohio). The duo teamed up for a match victory in the first round of the doubles flight.
In its third competition of the season, UC hosted the Queen City Invitational at the Queen City Racquet Club in Cincinnati Oct. 1-3. Highlighting the tournament for the Bearcats was a first-place finish by Sabrina Jetli (Cleveland, Ohio) in the Flight D bracket after defeating teammate Lindsey Lonergan (Cincinnati, Ohio/Princeton) in the final round. After receiving a bye in the first round of the Flight A bracket, Witte posted two straight-set victories before falling in the final round to Melis Tanik of West Virginia in three sets. Lee won the consolation bracket of Flight B by defeating Amy Nini of Wright State in straight sets, while Woulfe won her consolation bracket in Flight C over Taylor Hines of Wright State (6-0, 6-0).
In doubles play, Caitlin O'Gara (Springboro, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick) and Lonergan captured first-place in the Flight B doubles bracket, while Carly Wilson (Fort Mitchell, Ky.) and Woulfe won the consolation bracket of Flight B. The duos of Slynko and Witte and Ismail and Lee both made it to the final round in Flight A doubles.
The Bearcats finished up the 2010 fall season at the USTA/ITA Regional Championships in Knoxville, Tenn. hosted by the University of Tennessee. Slynko won her first match in straight sets in the main singles draw against Gabrielle Rubenstein of Butler (6-3, 6-3). Witte was also victorious in straight sets in her first match against Tiffanie Treece of Xavier (7-5, 6-2). Lee posted a strong performance in the singles consolation draw with a straight set victory over Jessica Parr of Miami (OH) (6-1, 6-2). Witte and Slynko teamed up in doubles action to record a victory in the main doubles draw over Anouk Faure and Jessica Albuquerque of Eastern Kentucky (8-2).
The Bearcats will take a three-month break to prepare for their spring schedule, and will be back in action Jan. 22-23, 2011in West Lafayette, Ind. at Purdue.