Miami University
Miami Invitational
Tennis Opens Strong at Rain-Shortened Miami Invitational
9/12/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
OXFORD, Ohio -- On an unseasonably cool September day at the Hepburn Varsity Tennis Courts, Miami University's women's tennis team commenced its 2015 fall season with a strong showing on the opening day of the Miami Invitational.
After some initial difficulties in the first doubles session, the RedHawks overcame two losses and went unbeaten in completed matches for the day. Miami's final singles matches against Xavier, as well as Butler's against Lipscomb, were suspended due to rain and will resume Sunday Sept. 13 at 9 a.m. Sunday's scheduled matchups will still be played following the completion of Saturday's events.
In the opening doubles matches, the first flight pair of junior Andreea Badileanu and sophomore Nelli Ponomareva fought off a challenge from Lipscomb's Katerina Kandyba and Laura Kent to prevail 6-4. The Bisons proved to be too much for Miami's other pairs, winning 6-4 in second flight and 6-3 in third flight.
The RedHawks bounced back from their early setbacks with impressive straight-sets victories against Butler. Badileanu carried over her winning ways to singles play as she quickly dispatched the Bulldogs' Jocelyn Koester, 6-0, 6-3 in fourth flight. Sophomore Hannah Shteyn was victorious in first flight for the first time in her career, beating Bailey Padgett, 6-4, 6-2. Ponomareva earned her first victory of the year with a 6-2, 6-2 result against Kylie Haviland. Senior Ana Rajkovic took down Rachel Sutton, 6-4, 6-1, in first flight. Finally, Miami's three newcomers brought in wins in their debuts for the team. Anzhelika Shapovalova defeated Carla O'Byrne (6-2, 6-2), Emily Struble beat Grace Hyde (6-2, 6-1), and Nastia Vasyukhina brought down Jordan Minnick (6-1, 6-1).
After a short break, Miami continued its success with a doubles sweep of the Bulldogs. In first flight, Shteyn and Shapovalova beat Koester and Padgett, 6-2. Rajkovic and Struble shut out Sutton and Angela Avgerinos in third flight, 6-0, while Badileanu and Ponomareva earned a 6-2 result over Haviland and Hyde.
At the time of the rain suspension, RedHawk players held leads in two of the six singles matches against Xavier. In fifth flight, Shapovalova had already won her first set against Alex Brinker, 6-0. Shteyn and Badileanu were tied at 3 with their opponents when the weather interrupted play.
In morning action featuring other schools, Xavier took three of four doubles matches from Butler before winning five of six in singles against Lipscomb. In the afternoon, the Musketeers swept the Bisons in doubles, which were followed by the suspended Butler-Lipscomb singles matches.
Check @MiamiOH_Tennis for score updates from the second day of the Miami Invitational and visit MURedHawks.com for a final recap of the day's action.
MORNING SESSION
DOUBLES
MIAMI UNIVERSITY vs. LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY
1. Andreea Badileanu/Nelli Ponomareva (MIAMI) def. Katerina Kandyba/Laura Kent (LIPSCOMB), 6-4
2. Danielle Kinnen/Thabile Tshatedi (LIPSCOMB) def. Anzhelika Shapovalova/Hannah Shteyn (MIAMI), 6-4
3. Lorena Djuknic/Kathryn Evans (LIPSCOMB) def. Ana Rajkovic/Nastia Vasyukhina (MIAMI), 6-3
BUTLER UNIVERSITY vs. XAVIER UNIVERSITY
1. Amina Ismail/Sydney Liggins (XAVIER) def. Kylie Haviland/Bailey Padgett (BUTLER), 6-4
2. Alex Brinker/Cristina Di Lorenzo (XAVIER) def. Grace Hyde/Jocelyn Koester (BUTLER), 6-1
3. Lauren Ghidotti/Zoe Manion (XAVIER) def. Carla O'Byrne/Rachel Sutton (BUTLER), 6-4
4. Angela Avgerinos/Jordan Minnick (BUTLER) def. Megan Morris/Abigail Roebker (XAVIER), 6-3
SINGLES
MIAMI UNIVERSITY vs. BUTLER UNIVERSITY
1. Hannah Shteyn (MIAMI) def. Bailey Padgett (BUTLER), 6-4, 6-2
2. Nelli Ponomareva (MIAMI) def. Kylie Haviland (BUTLER), 6-2, 6-2
3. Anzhelika Shapovalova (MIAMI) def. Carla O'Byrne (BUTLER), 6-2, 6-2
4. Andreea Badileanu (MIAM) def. Jocelyn Koester (BUTLER), 6-0, 6-3
5. Ana Rajkovic (MIAMI) def. Rachel Sutton (BUTLER), 6-4, 6-1
6. Emily Struble (MIAMI) def. Grace Hyde (BUTLER), 6-2, 6-1
7. Nastia Vasyukhina (MIAMI) def. Jordan Minnick (BUTLER), 6-1, 6-1
LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY vs. XAVIER UNIVERSITY
1. Sydney Liggins (XAVIER) def. Laura Kent (LIPSCOMB), 6-1, 6-0
2. Cristina Di Lorenzo (XAVIER) def. Katerina Kandyba (LIPSCOMB), 6-1, 6-1
3. Amina Ismail (XAVIER) def. Thabile Tshatedi (LIPSCOMB), 6-1, 6-2
4. Lauren Ghidotti (XAVIER) def. Danielle Kinnen (LIPSCOMB), 6-2, 6-3
5. Lorena Djuknic (LIPSCOMB) def. Zoe Manion (XAVIER), 6-7, 6-1, 6-1
6. Megan Morris (XAVIER) def. Kathryn Evans (LIPSCOMB), 6-0, 5-7, 6-2
AFTERNOON SESSION
DOUBLES
MIAMI UNIVERSITY vs. BUTLER UNIVERSITY
1. Anzhelika Shapovalova/Hannah Shteyn (MIAMI) def. Jocelyn Koester/Bailey Padgett (BUTLER), 6-2
2. Andreea Badileanu/Nelli Ponomareva (MIAMI) def. Kylie Haviland/Grace Hyde (BUTLER), 6-2
3. Ana Rajkovic/Emily Struble (MIAMI) def. Angela Avgerinos/Rachel Sutton (BUTLER), 6-0
LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY vs. XAVIER UNIVERSITY
1. Amina Ismail/Sydney Liggins (XAVIER) def. Laura Kent/Danielle Kinnen (LIPSCOMB), 6-2
2. Alex Brinker/Cristina Di Lorenzo (XAVIER) def. Lorena Djuknic/Katerina Kandyba (LIPSCOMB), 6-1
3. Lauren Ghidotti/Zoe Manion (XAVIER) def. Kathryn Evans/Thabile Tshatedi (LIPSCOMB), 6-1
SINGLES (Play suspended, will resume at 9 a.m. on September 13)
MIAMI UNIVERSITY vs. XAVIER UNIVERSITY
1. Hannah Shteyn (MIAMI) & Sydney Liggins (XAVIER) tied at 3 in first set
2. Cristina Di Lorenzo (XAVIER) leads Nelli Ponomareva (MIAMI), 5-2 in first set
3. Andreea Badileanu (MIAMI) & Amina Ismail (XAVIER) tied at 3 in first set
4. Lauren Ghidotti (XAVIER) leads Ana Rajkovic (MIAMI), 3-2 in first set
5. Anzhelika Shapovalova (MIAMI) leads Alex Brinker (XAVIER), 6-0
6. Nastia Vasyukhina (MIAMI) leads Zoe Manion (XAVIER), 5-2 in first set
BUTLER UNIVERSITY vs. LIPSCOMB UNIVERSITY
1. Bailey Padgett (BUTLER) vs. Laura Kent (LIPSCOMB)
2. Kylie Haviland (BUTLER) vs. Katerina Kandyba (LIPSCOMB)
3. Carla O'Byrne (BUTLER) vs. Thabile Tshatedi (LIPSCOMB)
4. Grace Hyde (BUTLER) vs. Danielle Kinnen (LIPSCOMB)
5. Angela Avgerinos (BUTLER) vs. Lorena Djuknic (LIPSCOMB)
6. Callie Schmit (BUTLER) vs. Kathryn Evans (LIPSCOMB)
Players Mentioned
