Mississippi State
ITA Southern Region Indoor Championships
Three Singles Players, One Duo Advance For MSU At USTA/ITA Southern Regional
October 17, 2015 | Women's Tennis
AUBURN, Ala. – After a slow start in doubles on the first day of the USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships, the Mississippi State women's tennis team fought back to finish the day solidly in singles, with three players and one doubles team staying alive in main draw competition.
“It was a rough start in doubles today,” MSU head coach Daryl Greenan said. “We lost three out of four matches and did not respond well. I was pleased with the way we rebounded in singles, winning seven out of 13 singles matches. The competition is exactly what we need this time of the year to challenge and make our players stronger. We just need to have a better start and play more aggressively in doubles tomorrow.”
The day began with one round of doubles play followed by two rounds of singles.
In the doubles A Draw, MSU's sophomore tandem of Jennifer Brown and Kristina Vozniak defeated McNeese State's Hannah Brett and Julia Kral 8-3 to move into in the round of 16 Saturday morning. Also in the A Draw, State's No. 4 seed Madison Harrison and Jasmine Lee fell to Tulane's Ipek Birol and Sade Atkinson in a close 8-7 decision. The third tandem in the A Draw for the Maroon and White, Georgiana Patrasc and Anastasia Rentouli, fell to LSU's Ella Taylor and Jessica Golovin 8-5.
In the doubles B Draw, MSU's Caroline Kelly and Louise Ronaldson were defeated by UAB's Catherine Ragon and Elaine Simon 8-5.
After doubles was complete, three Bulldogs moved on in main draw action in their respective draws.
Rentouli and Patrasc both moved into the round of 16 in the A Draw. Rentouli, a 9-16 seed, downed Laura Valkova of South Alabama 6-2, 6-2 in the opening round and following that with a 6-2, 6-3 victory over Alabama's Natalia Maynetto. Patrasc, ranked 83rd nationally and seeded 5-8, opened action with a solid 6-1, 6-2 triumph against Giovanna Fioretti of McNeese State. She then ousted Samford's Savannah Wood by the same score.
State's Vozniak posted a first-round win in A Draw action, beating Allie Sanford of rival Ole Miss 6-3, 6-3. She then dropped a tough 5-7, 6-1, 6-1 decision to South Alabama's Alexandra Shteler. Brown, Harrison and Ronaldson all fell in their openers in the A Draw and also dropped consolation matches later in the day.
In the B Draw, it was MSU newcomer Caroline Kelly moving into the quarterfinals with a pair of wins Friday. She opened by downing Haley Ballinger of Louisiana Tech 6-3, 6-1 and following with a hard-fought three-set win over Clemence Krug from Nicholls State 7-6, 4-6, 1-0 in the round of 16.
For more information on Mississippi State women's tennis and updates, fans can follow the Bulldogs on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at HailStateWT.
USTA/ITA Southern Regional Championships
October 16, 2015 – Yarbrough Tennis Center – Auburn, Ala.
Doubles - A Draw
First Round - Jennifer Brown/Kristina Vozniak (MSU) def. Hannah Brett/Julia Kral (McNeese State) 8-3; Ipek Birol/Sade Atkinson (Tulane) def. Madison Harrison/Jasmine Lee (MSU) [4] 8-7; Jessica Golovin/Ella Taylor (LSU) def. Georgiana Patrasc/Anastasia Rentouli (MSU) [5-8] 8-5
Doubles - B Draw
First Round – Catherine Ragon/Elaine Simon (UAB) def. Caroline Kelly/Louise Ronaldson (MSU) 8-5
Singles – A Draw
First Round – Kristina Vozniak (MSU) def. Allie Sanford (Ole Miss) 6-3, 6-3; Andie Daniell (Alabama) [5] def. Jennifer Brown (MSU) 6-1, 6-4; Petra Horakova (ULM) def. Madison Harrison (MSU) [9-16] 7-5, 6-2; Anastasia Rentouli (MSU) [9-16] def. Laura Valkova (South Alabama) 6-2, 6-2; Zalina Khairudinova (Ole Miss) def. Louise Ronaldson (MSU) 6-1, 6-1; No. 83 Georgiana Patrasc (MSU) [5-8] def. Giovanna Fioretti (McNeese State) 6-1, 6-2
Second Round – Alexandra Shteler (South Alabama) [9-16] def. Vozniak (MSU) 5-7, 6-1, 6-1; Rentouli (MSU) [9-16] def. Natalia Maynetto (Alabama) 6-2, 6-3; No. 83 Patrasc (MSU) [5-8] def. Savannah Wood (Samford) 6-1, 6-2
Singles – A Draw Consolation
First Round – Efriliva Herlina (Troy) def. Brown (MSU) by default (inj.); Caroline Turner (Auburn) def. Harrison (MSU) 6-0, 0-6, 1-0(9); Kyla Klier (Tulane) def. Ronaldson (MSU) 6-0, 6-2.
Singles – B Draw
First Round – Caroline Kelly (MSU) def. Haley Ballinger (Louisiana Tech) 6-3, 6-1.
Round of 16 – Kelly (MSU) def. Clemence Krug (Nicholls State) 7-6, 4-6, 1-0
Players Mentioned
