Elder-Bush Leads RU Women's Tennis at Brown Invitational
Oct 04 | Women's Tennis
PROVIDENCE, RI - Freshman Katrina Elder-Bush (Boston, MA) continued her impressive fall campaign with a third-place showing in Flight B singles at the Brown Invitational.
Elder-Bush earned a straight-set 6-3, 6-4 victory over Gina Sabatino of Boston University in the opening round before dropping a hard-fought 6-1, 6-7 (3), 7-6 (4) decision in the semifinals. In the third place match, Elder-Bush defeated teammate Ketevan Shmakova (Dover, NJ) 6-2, 6-3. Shmakova knocked off Laura Ahmes of Boston University in the first round.
Along with doubles partner Lauren Edelschein (Medford Lakes, NJ), Elder-Bush won the consolation title in Flight B doubles. Edelschein and Elder-Bush rebounded from an opening-round loss to win three straight matches, including a 8-6 decision in the finals.
'Katrina stepped up her game this weekend,' said head coach Ben Bucca. 'She is quickly learning how to be a great competitor and win tough matches.'
Jill Markowitz (Holmdel, NJ) was Rutgers' representative in Flight A singles and won her first-round match in straight-sets over Marissa Alikpala of Colgate, 6-4, 6-2. Markowitz took fourth place in the flight.
In Flight D singles, Anela Dujsic (Mississauga, Ontario) followed up her first career singles title last weekend at Quinnipiac by finishing in fourth place. She ousted Becca Smalley in the first round, 6-3, 6-3.
Shmakova and Alina Balasa (East Brunswick, NJ) finished in fourth place in Flight A doubles, highlighted by a 8-6 opening-round victory.
'Overall, I was very pleased with how we competed,' said Bucca. 'This was one of the premiere tournaments on the East Coast, and I thought we played well. We are quickly gaining valuable experience going up against quality opponents.'
The Brown Invitational featured three regionally-ranked teams - Dartmouth, Boston University and Brown. Rutgers returns to action this weekend when it travels to Forest Hills, NY, for the annual USTA Invitational.
