Three Falcons Advance to Championship Matches at Queen City Invite

Saturday, October 3

Cincinnati, OH

9:00 AM

Bowling Green State University

Queen City Invitational

Sophomore Jessica Easdale was one of three Falcons to advance to a singles championship match

Three Falcons Advance to Championship Matches at Queen City Invite

October 03, 2009 | Women's Tennis

By: CINCINNATI, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University tennis team had another successful day at the Queen City Invitational Saturday (Oct. 3), as three members of the Falcon squad advanced to the championship match in their respective flights.

The Falcons of head coach Penny Dean went a combined 5-2 in singles action and 3-2 in doubles play on day two of the three-day tourney.

Overall, BGSU singles competitors are 18-5 through two days of play, while Falcon doubles teams have gone 5-4 to date.

No team scores are being kept at the tourney, which is hosted by the University of Cincinnati at the Queen City Racquet Club. But, individual champions will be crowned in each of four singles and two doubles flights.

Two freshmen and a sophomore advanced to the championship match in their respective singles flights. Freshman Maddy Eccleston picked up a three-set victory over Toledo's Nadia Zoubareva in the B flight, with a 7-5 win in the final set. Eccleston will meet another UT player, Ashley Frey, in Sunday's championship match.

At the C flight, sophomore Jessica Easdale advanced to the championship. Just as Eccleston did, Easdale defeated a Toledo player on Saturday, losing only two total games in a straight-sets win (6-0, 6-2) over Missy Reynolds. Easdale will face Cincinnati's Caitlin O'Gara in the final.

Freshman Katie Grubb lost only two games in her semifinal-round win, downing Paola Rodgriguez of Ball State (6-1, 6-1) in D-flight action on Saturday. Grubb will meet Lauren Pickrel, another BSU competitor, in Sunday's flight championship match.

In the A singles flight, both of BGSU's competitors fell in the semifinal round. Senior Samantha Kintzel and junior Christine Chiricosta, after winning two matches each on Friday, were knocked out of the main draw.

Senior Katia Babina lost only three games in a straight-sets win over Ball State's Katherine Rist in the consolation bracket of the B flight. Babina will meet Ashley Pilsbury of West Virginia on Sunday.

Freshman Jade Johnson lost just two games in a victory over Natalie Handler of Xavier in the back draw of the C flight. For Johnson, that sets up a Sunday match vs. Sarah Hebble of Ball State.

Junior transfer Mary-Catherine Beck had a bye in the consolation bracket of the D flight on Saturday. Flight D has only 13 competitors, unlike each of the other three singles flights (16 players in each).

In doubles, both of the Falcons' A-flight teams -- Babina/Kintzel and Chiricosta/Eccleston -- lost in second-round action on Saturday. At the B flight, both BG teams picked up consolation-round victories to set up a Sunday meeting with one another.

In that B flight, Grubb and Johnson won by an 8-1 score, while the Beck/Easdale duo picked up a pair of wins, by scores of 8-5 and 8-1. Those results put the Falcons' two teams in the consolation bracket final.

Participating schools in the Queen City Invitational include BGSU, UC, Ball State, Bradley, Dayton, Toledo, West Virginia and Xavier.

The tourney concludes with action on Sunday (Oct. 4), beginning at 9:00 a.m. BGSU's complete results through Saturday are below.

QUEEN CITY INVITATIONAL
BGSU'S RESULTS (through Saturday)

A-SINGLES
CHRISTINE CHIRICOSTA
Def. Loni Dickerhoof (Dayton) 6-1, 6-1
Def. Elise Woulfe (Cincinnati) 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
Lost to Maha Guirguis (Toledo) 7-6, 6-3

SAMANTHA KINTZEL
Def. Lindsey Lonergan (Cincinnati) 3-6, 6-0, 6-3
Def. Katie Haught (West Virginia) 6-4, 6-1
Lost to Katie Pleiman (Xavier) 6-0, 6-2

B-SINGLES
KATIA BABINA
Def. Gabriela Blaskovicova (West Virginia) 6-3, 6-1
Lost to Jill Ducro (Xavier) 6-4, 6-4
Def. Katherine Rist (Ball State) 6-1, 6-2
Vs. Ashley Pilsbury (West Virginia) in back draw

MADDY ECCLESTON
Def. Hayley Hall (Ball State) 1-6, 7-6, 6-2
Def. Kaitlynn Zinn (Xavier) 6-2, 6-2
Def. Nadia Zoubareva (Toledo) 6-4, 6-7, 7-5
Vs. Ashley Frey (Toledo) in flight championship

C-SINGLES
JADE JOHNSON
Def. Kelly O'Connel (Dayton) 6-3, 6-2
Lost to Kally Alkire (Xavier) 3-6, 6-2, 7-5
Def. Natalie Handler (Xavier) 6-2, 6-0
Vs. Sarah Hebble (Ball State) in back draw

JESSICA EASDALE
Def. Liv Pettersson (West Virginia) 6-3, 6-3
Def. Sarah Hebble (Ball State) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
Def. Missy Reynolds (Toledo) 6-3, 3-6, 7-6
Vs. Caitlin O'Gara (Cincinnati) in flight championship

D-SINGLES
KATIE GRUBB
Def. Anna Nelke (Cincinnati) 6-0, 6-1
Def. Jacque Weir (Toledo) 7-5, 6-2
Def. Paola Rodgriguez (Ball State) 6-1, 6-1
Vs. Lauren Pickrel (Ball State) in flight championship

MARY-CATHERINE BECK
Def. Sara Smith (Dayton) 6-4, 6-3
Lost to Lauren Pickrel (Ball State) 6-3, 6-2
Bye
Vs. Chelsea Gray (Dayton) or Jacque Weir (Toledo) in back draw

A-DOUBLES
BABINA/KINTZEL
Def. Hebble/Thomson (Ball State) 8-1
Lost to Kinnard/K. Pleiman (Xavier) 8-6

CHIRICOSTA/ECCLESTON
Def. Buterbaugh/Donohue (Bradley) 8-0
Lost to Frey/Zoubareva (Toledo) 9-8

B-DOUBLES
GRUBB/JOHNSON
First-round bye
Lost to Boulieris/Pickrel (Ball State) 9-7
Bye
Def. Glanker/Mathews (Dayton) 8-1
Vs. Beck/Easdale (BGSU) in back draw

BECK/EASDALE
Lost to O'Gara/Slynko (Cincinnati) 8-3
Def. Nelke (UC)/Weir (UT) 8-5
Def. Gray/Weeks (Dayton) 8-1
Vs. Grubb/Johnson (BGSU) in back draw