Solid First Day for BGSU at Rocket Invitational

Friday, October 8

Toledo, Ohio

9:00 AM

Bowling Green State University

Rocket Invitational

Doug Sampson photo - April 2, 2010, vs Western Michigan

Sophomore Jade Johnson made her 2010-11 debut with a doubles win at the Rocket Invitational (photo by Doug Sampson)

October 08, 2010 | Women's Tennis

BGSU goes 10-2 in singles, 3-0 in doubles in Glass City

By: TOLEDO, Ohio (BGSU Athletic Communications)

The Bowling Green State University tennis team had a successful first day at the Rocket Invitational. Falcon players combined to post a 10-2 singles record and a 3-0 doubles mark in Friday action (Oct. 8).

FRIDAY'S RESULTS - PDF

A hidden-dual format is being used for the two-day, five-team invitational. The tournament, hosted by Toledo, also includes Cleveland State, Detroit and Duquesne, in addition to the Falcons.

BGSU opened Friday play by sweeping three doubles matches from Detroit opponents. All three Falcon teams were competing together for the first time ever. The Falcons' two freshmen, Nikki Chiricosta and Emily Reuland, downed their Titan foes by an 8-3 score.

Another BG newcomer, sophomore Mary Hill, teamed with senior Christine Chiricosta for an 8-4 win vs. UDM. And, two more sophs won by the same score, as Maddy Eccleston and Jade Johnson teamed up for a victory. Johnson was playing her first match of the 2010-11 season after missing the BGSU Invitational (Sept. 18-19) and the Spartan Invite (Sept. 24-26) due to injury.

In singles play, the Falcons won five of six matches at both the A and B flights. In the A flight, Christine and Nikki Chiricosta each went 2-0, while Reuland split her two matches.

Each of the Chiricosta sisters picked up a 6-2, 6-4 win over a Toledo opponent, with Christine beating Ashley Frey and Nikki downing Kelsey Anonsen. UT's Polina Guimaraes topped Reuland during that portion of the singles action.

The A-flighted Falcons picked up three wins over Cleveland State, with Nikki Chiricosta losing only three total games in her win over Kara Sherwood. Christine Chiricosta defeated CSU's Alex Power in straight sets, while Reuland won a third-set tiebreaker against the Vikings' Nicole Janek.

In the B flight, Eccleston and junior Jessica Easdale each went 2-0, with wins over foes from CSU and Duquesne. Against Cleveland State, Eccleston lost just two games in a victory over Maria Lazaris, while Easdale dropped only four total games while sweeping Sanda Bjelan. CSU's Alex Bush eked past Hill in a 10-8, third-set 'breaker.

Hill bounced back to top Duquesne's Tara Majdalani by identical 6-4 scores. Easdale lost only three games in her victory over DU's Alrissa Tobe, while Eccleston also won in the minimum two sets, besting Megan O'Sullivan.

The Rocket Invitational concludes on Saturday (Oct. 9). The day two schedule sees the Falcons facing UT and CSU in doubles, Duquesne in A-flight singles and both UDM and UT in the B flight of singles.

CHIRICOSTA CLIMBS CAREER CHARTS
* Senior captain Christine Chiricosta's three wins on Friday increase her career total to 142, tying her for sixth in BGSU history. Chiricosta is deadlocked with her former teammate, Samantha Kintzel (2007-10), and is one win away from fifth-place Cindy Mikolajewski (1994-97). Mikolajewski, now Cindy Yonker, is the Falcons' assistant coach.

* Chiricosta has totals of 72 singles wins and 70 doubles victories. She is tied for 11th in singles wins (with Kintzel), and is deadlocked for eighth on the doubles chart (with Kintzel and Devon Bissinger [1999-2002]).

* Chiricosta is within striking distance of all three school records. The BGSU career records are 81 singles wins (Stefanie Menoff, 2006-09), 84 doubles wins (Jenny Cheung, 1995-98) and 153 combined victories (Deidee Bissinger, 1997-2000).