Malley and Cecil Advance to Main Draw Singles at Midwest Regional – Ohio State Buckeyes
10/23/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s tennis team continued its campaign at the ITA/USTA Midwest Regional in Ann Arbor, Mich., Friday. Sophomore Kara Cecil and freshman Noelle Malley both earned berths in main draw singles while the doubles tandem of Gabby Steele and Kelsey Haviland, along with Paloma Escobedo and Cami Hubbs, stayed alive through the first two rounds of main draw doubles.
Malley continued her streak of straight-sets victories at the tournament, advancing into main draw singles with a 6-4, 7-6 (4) win against Illinois’ Allison Falkin while Cecil took her match against Toledo’s Ashley Frey, 6-4, 6-1. Tiffany Dittmer jumped out to a lead in her match against Kelsey Lawson of DePaul after taking the first set, but Lawson battled back to take the match, 1-6, 6-3, 6-4.
In main draw doubles, the tandem of Steele and Haviland, a No. 9-12 seed, posted an 8-2 victory against Wisconsin’s Chupa and Stracar in the second round after a first-round bye. No. 5-8-seeded Escobedo and Hubbs enjoyed a first-round bye as well and advanced past Bjerrehus and Janek of Cleveland State, 8-2, in the second round.
The duo of Fidan Manashirova and Dittmer, the only Buckeye combination without a first-round bye, fell in a hard-fought match in the first round to Akron’s Jogasuria and Pantusart, 8-6. Cecil and Malley were bounced from the doubles competition by Chernyakova and Wowchuk of Northwestern in the second round, 8-3.
Haviland and Steele will face off against the No. 5-8-seeded duo of Bolender and Nguyen of Michigan in the third round while Escobedo and Hubbs take on No. 9-12 seed Rafael and Sanders of Notre Dame. Both matches are scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday.
The championship match for doubles will be played Monday morning while singles wraps up Tuesday morning.
The Midwest Regional is a qualifier for the ITA National Indoor Championships Nov. 4-7 in Flushing Meadows, N.Y. The singles finalists and doubles champions from regionals across the country earn automatic bids into the tournament.
ITA/USTA Midwest Regional
Oct. 21-26, 2010
Ann Arbor, Mich.
Qualifying Singles
Third Round
Kara Cecil (OSU) def. Ashley Frey (TOL), 6-4, 6-1
Noelle Malley (OSU) def. Allison Falkin, 6-4, 7-6 (4)
Kelsey Lawson (DEP) def. Tiffany Dittmer (OSU), 1-6, 6-3, 6-4
Main Draw Doubles
First Round
Jogasuria/Pantusart (AKR) def. Manashirova/Dittmer (OSU), 8-6
Second Round
Steele/Haviland (OSU) def. Chupa/Stracar (WIS), 8-2
Escobedo/Hubbs (OSU) def. Bjerrehus/Janek (CSU), 8-2
Chernyakova/Wowchuk (NU) def. Malley/Cecil (OSU), 8-3
