WALLA WALLA, WASH. – Friday afternoon was a huge confidence-booster for Seattle U women’s tennis, as they triumphed over Whitman 6-1 to notch their first win of the young spring season.
The Redhawks were hugely successful in singles, winning five out of six matches. In the #1 singles, sophomore Hannah Gianan defeated Whitman’s Andrea Gu 7-5, 6-4 in what Head Coach Joey Barnes called a “very strong, wise and smart” battle. Freshman Martina Asciuto also impressed, taking her opponent to three sets and ultimately prevailing 6-2, 4-6, 10-7. Senior Lily-Ana Kreutzer, the sole upperclassman representative for Seattle U, won her match 6-1, 6-2, while freshmen Alisa Sabotic (6-1, 6-1) and Jillian Rasmussen (6-3, 6-2) also earned points for the team. Sophomore Kyra Jung also played hard against Mary Hill of Whitman, but ultimately lost 3-6, 3-6.
“They really took it to another level,” said Coach Barnes, pleased.
In doubles, Seattle U won three tight matchups, two of which involved tiebreakers. The pair of Gianan and Jung won their match 7-6(7), while Asciuto and freshman Hannah Grossman thrilled spectators in a drawn-out 7-6(12) victory. Kreutzer and Rasmussen, forming the Redhawks' third doubles team, rounded things out with a straightforward final score of 7-5.
“Whitman is a very strong and competitive school,” said Coach Barnes. “I am happy with the team and how they played today, and I feel that the ladies are also happy with their results. They also learned more about what they need to improve upon – we still have a long way to go – but we look forward to competing against Eastern Washington tomorrow.”
Next up: Seattle U at Eastern Washington (11:00 AM PST)
Seattle U vs. Whitman
Feb. 1, 2019 at Walla Walla, Wash.
(Bratton Tennis Center)
Seattle U 6, Whitman 1
Singles Competition
1. Gianan, Hannah (SU) def. Gu, Andrea (WC) 7-5, 6-4
2. Hill, Mary (WC) def. Jung, Kyra (SU) 6-3, 6-3
3. Sabotic, Alisa (SU) def. Redkina, Anastasiya (WC) 6-1, 6-1
4. Rasmussen, Jillian (SU) def. Sheng, Lori (WC) 6-3, 6-2
5. Asciuto, Martina (SU) def. Grigore, Audrey (WC) 6-2, 4-6, 10-7
6. Kreutzer, Lily-Ana (SU) def. DeMuth, Lorin (WC) 6-1, 6-2
Doubles Competition
1. Gianan, Hannah/Jung, Kyra (SU) def. Hill, Mary/Gu, Andrea (WC) 7-6(7)
2. Kreutzer, Lily-Ana/Rasmussen, Jillian (SU) def. Redkina, Anastasiya/Grigore, Audrey (WC) 7-5
3. Asciuto, Martina/Grossman, Hannah (SU) def. Pak, Kattie/Sheng, Lori (WC) 7-6(12)
Match Notes:
Seattle U 1-1, 0-0 WAC
Whitman 1-1, 0-0 NWC
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (3,4,1,2,6,5)