Rutgers Tennis Competes at USTA Women's College Invitational
Oct 12 | Women's Tennis
FLUSHING, N.Y. (Oct. 12, 2009) – The Rutgers tennis team competed at the 2009 USTA Women's College Invitational over the weekend. The squad was led by sophomore Leonora Slatnick (Austin, Texas), who finished in the finals of the tournament, winning three matches before falling to Emily Ellis of Brown, 6-4, 6-1.
“The team’s performance against some of the top teams in not only the region, but the nation, gave them added confidence as we look forward to the ITA Regional Championships,” said Rutgers head coach Benjamin Bucca. “We are motivated, and I believe this weekend gave Rutgers women’s tennis credibility as one of the leading teams in the region.”
En route to the finals, Slatnick defeated Shelly Carpeni of Dartmouth, 6-2, 6-3 in the semi finals. The sophomore upended Jessica Eblen of UNC Greensboro (6-1, 6-1) in the quarterfinals and Michael Tollerton in the opening round of the tournament.
“I am very happy for Leonora,” saidBucca. “She had a great weekend of tennis. Leo has worked hard on her game over the summer as well as throughout the fall and this weekend showcased that. The benefits of her hard labor showed through with some great play.”
Junior Amy Zhang (Plano, Texas) also gave a solid performance for the Scarlet Knights. In the opening round of the tournament, Zhang defeated Binghamton’s Lauren Bates (6-1, 6-2) to kick off the weekend. The Division I Female Student-Athlete of the Year went on to best Emily Wolf of Penn (6-2, 1-0 16(4)) in the quarterfinals. She lost to Columbia’s Nicole Bartnik, 6-0, 6-4.
Freshman Michelle Green (Hilton Head Island, S.C.) played like a veteran, advancing to the semi finals of the tournament. She earned victories against LIU’s Dara Lahens (6-3, 7-5 16) and St. John’s Alyssa Liantonio (6-2, 6-3) en route to the semis. The newcomer lost to Ellis, ending her weekend.
Zhang joined sophomore Jennifer Holzberg (Easton, Conn.) in Flight A doubles at the USTA Women's College Invitational. The pair defeated UNCG’s Valerie Behr and Lucy Dougherty in the first round, 8-6. The Scarlet Knights defeated Vicky Brook and Stephanie Kent of Yale, 9-8 in the next round. Zhang and Holzberg fell to Alex Kelleher and Olga Khymlev of Boston College in the semifinals of the draw.
RU returns to action at the ITA Regional Championships in two weeks.
Rutgers Athletics Launches the Athletic Excellence Fund
Monday, October 06
R Fund, Knights of the Raritan are YouKnighted | Million Dollar Match
Friday, February 28
Rutgers x Nike Apparel Partnership
Thursday, December 19
Tennis New Facilities Ribbon Cutting Ceremony
Wednesday, November 08
