The Seattle University women's tennis team started the 2012-13 campaign today, finishing play on the first day of the 2012 Cougar Classic held on the WSU Outdoor Tennis Courts in Pullman, Wash.
Gabriella Weissmann (Simi Valley, Calif.) advanced to the second round in Flight 1, beating Claudia Lew of Lewis and Clark in straight sets, 6-2, 6-3. In the second round, Weissmann met top-seeded Liudmila Vasilieva of Washington State and lost 6-0, 6-1. Weissman now moves to the consolation bracket where she'll face Idaho's Bety Flores.
Also competing in Flight 1 were Lindsey Newman (Freeland, Wash.), who lost 6-4, 6-4 in the opening round, Sarah Lucas (Las Vegas, Nev.), who fell 6-0, 6-2, and Anna Lambert (Spokane, Wash.), who dropped a 6-1, 6-4 decision. All three Redhawks won their consolation matches, however, and will continue singles play Saturday.
Freshman Kristen James (Lubbock, Texas) won her first collegiate match Friday, defeating Lewis and Clark's Olivia Cornell 6-3, 6-1 in Flight 2. Like Weissman, James also met and lost to a player from Washington State, falling to Charlotte Koning 6-0, 6-1. James will now continue in the flight's consolation bracket.
Natalie Martin (Phoenix, Ariz.) held tough against Portland's Emily Gould in their Flight 2 matchup, but fell in the end 7-5, 6-3, while Corinne Wurden (Poulsbo, Wash.) lost in her first-round match against Megan LaLone of Boise State 6-0, 6-1. Steffanie Mortera (Portland, Ore.) did not play her first-round match, allowing opponent Saroop Dhat of Portland to advance.
In the Flight 2 consolation bracket, Wurden defeated Alexandra Talles of Gonzaga 6-3, 0-6, 10-4 to continue singles play, while Martin withdrew from her consolation bracket match.
Newcomer Rachel McCarthy was the only Redhawk participating in Flight 3. She fell in her first-round matchup 6-0, 6-0, and dropped the consolation match 6-2, 2-6, 10-8.
In doubles play, Weissman and Newman dropped their Flight 1 doubles match 8-1, but took down Lewis and Clark's team of Garrison and Lew 8-1 to stay alive in the consolation bracket. Mortera and Lucas fell 8-0 in the first round of Flight 1, while Wurden and James lost 8-3 to Vasilieva and Koning of Washington State in the second round the flight.
Lambert and newcomer Dayna Bennett (Issaquah, Wash.) started off Flight 2 with an 8-0 victory over a pair from Lewis-Clark State, but fell in the second round to Mackey and Gbadamoi of Montana. McCarthy and Martin advanced out of the second round by defeating Lewis-Clark State's Martina and Ramos 8-6 in the second round of Flight 2, but fell 8-0 in round 3.
The Redhawks will continue play at the Cougar Classic Saturday, Sept. 15. Doubles matches start at 9:00 a.m., while the third round of the singles competitions start at 11:30 a.m. at the Cougar Outdoor Tennis Courts in Pullman, Wash.