No. 11 Hurricanes Conclude Impressive Run at Eagle Invite
Jan. 16, 2012
FORT MYERS, Fla. – The University of Miami women’s tennis team concluded play at the Eagle Invite hosted by Florida Gulf Coast University Monday in Fort Myers, Fla. The No. 11 Hurricanes, who had all six singles players in championship matches, earned titles in three singles flights and took second-place finishes in another three.
Gabriela Mejia took down fellow senior Anna Bartenstein (7-5, 7-6 [9-7]) in the championship match of the main singles flight. It was the third straight victory at the tournament for Mejia, who earned a spot at No. 39 in the ITA singles preseason rankings.
In another head-to-head battle, sophomore Melissa Bolivar earned a championship in the second singles flight with a win over Canes’ freshman Liat Zimmerman (6-4, 6-1). The Barranquilla, Colombia native concluded an impressive run at the invitational without a single lost set in three singles matches.
Sophomore Brittany Dubins, competing in another championship match, fell to Danielle Day of UNF (6-0, 6-4). Dubins ended her run in the third singles flight with a second-place finish.
Freshman Lina Lileikite made it three champions on the day for the Hurricanes with her win over Polina Kolop of Northwestern State University in the fourth singles flight (6-0, 6-3). Lileikite, competing in her first tournament as a Hurricane, lost only 12 games in her three matches, earning victories in straight sets in all three.
On the doubles side, Bolivar and Zimmerman earned revenge for their fellow Canes with a championship victory over the Iowa State duo of Maria Macedo and Ksenia Pronina (8-2). After falling to the Cyclones duo on Saturday, the Canes’ top doubles team of Bartenstein and Mejia finished in third place of the main doubles flight with a victory over Veronika Blaskova and Lucia Kovalova of Wichita State University (8-5).
In the second doubles flight, the underclassmen duo of Lileikite and Dubins took home an impressive third-place finish with a dominant victory over Franziska Sprinkmeyer and Nadia Lee of North Texas (8-2).
The Hurricanes continue their spring with an exhibition against Barry University on Saturday, Jan. 21 at 2:00 p.m. Their next regular season contest will take place during ITA Kick-Off Weekend beginning Jan. 28.
