Oct. 7, 2006

 

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - The Illinois women's tennis team concluded its first day of competition at the Rice Invitational at Jake Hess Tennis Stadium in Houston, Texas. All six Illini competitors registered their wins in opening action, while junior Momei Qu, junior Alejandra Meza Cuadra and freshman Leigh Finnegan each began the day off with a victory in the first round.

 

The tournament split the competitors from nine different institutions into three singles brackets and two doubles. Freshman Megan Fudge and Finnegan competed in the Blue Bracket of the classic, while Meza Cuadra, Qu, sophomore Shivani Davé and freshman Kristina Minor each competed in the Gray Bracket. For doubles, each of the Illini tandems were in the Blue Bracket.

 

In singles action, Fudge lost to Julie Chao from Rice 6-1, 7-6(3) followed by her first career win with her victory over Zuzana Chmelarova of Baylor, 6-2, 6-3. Now, the Illini newcomer will take on Karen Scida of UTSA on Saturday. Finnegan, on the other hand, began her college career on a high note, topping Alanna Rodgers of Rice in the first round, 7-6, 3-6, 6-4, before dropping her next match to Iva Mihaylova of Baylor, 7-5, 6-3. Fudge will take on Christine Dao (Rice) in the next round.

 

Meza Cuadra quickly advanced through her first round draw (0-6, 6-2, Def.)  after Kimberly Patenaude of Rice defaulted, while the Illini junior fell short against Whitney McCray of Georgia Tech by game scores of 6-1, 6-2 in the second round. Davé managed to get through her first round match by a score of 7-6(2), 6-2, while her second-round performance fell short against Rebecca Lin of Rice by match scores of 6-3, 6-2. Meza Cuadra and Davé will next face each other in the third round. Qu looked impressive in her opening round killing of Emily Braid from Rice, 6-2, 6-2. Qu then dropped her following match to Christy Striplin from Georgia Tech by scores of 6-7, 6-1, 6-2 and will face Sandra Kukla of UTSA on Saturday morning. Minor rounded out the Orange and Blue competitors, falling short against Baylor's Jana Bielikova, 6-2, 6-2, in her collegiate debut. Minor bounced back with win against Stephanie Rodriguez (Lee), 6-3, 6-1.Minor now meets Braid in the next round.

 

In doubles action, Davé and Meza Cuadra teamed together, losing to Mihaylova and Chmelarova from Baylor, 8-3. The two will now face Holly Phillips and Eva Silvester of UTSA in the second round. Qu and Minor joined together and struggled in their opening match of the season to Christy Striplin and Amanda McDowell, 8-2. They now draw the tandem of Alanna Rodrigues and Rebecca Lin of Rice for their next opponent in the bracket. Wrapping up the action for Illinois at the Rice Invitational were Finnegan and Fudge, who defeated Kalei Gora and Jordan McCombs by a score of 8-6 in their first doubles tilt as Illini. The two will now face Christine Doa and Emily Braid.

 

For full tournament results, brackets, match ups and scores, visit fightingillini.com at the conclusion of each day's action.

 

 

 

NAMING THE FIELD
The Rice Tennis Classic will be held on the campus of Rice University. The field includes Baylor, Georgia Tech, Illinois, Lee College, Prairie View A&M, Rice, SMU, Texas Southern and UT-San Antonio.

TOURNAMENT BREAKDOWN
The tournament consists of three singles brackets (Blue, Gray, White), with the Blue and Gray brackets consisting of 16 competitors each. The White bracket includes eight competitors. In doubles, there are two brackets, the Blue which contains 16 pairs and the gray only four teams. Play is scheduled to begin each day with doubles at 8 a.m. (CST) on Friday and Saturday and 9 a.m. (CST) on Sunday.

TOURNAMENT RESULTS
Day 1: Friday, Oct. 6

Singles [Blue Bracket]

Julie Chao (Rice) def. Megan Fudge (ILL), 6-1, 7-6(3)

Megan Fudge (ILL) def. Zuzana Chmelarova (Baylor), 6-2, 6-3

Leigh Finnegan (ILL) def. Alanna Rodgers (Rice), 7-6, 3-6, 6-4

Iva Mihaylova (Baylor) def. Leigh Finnegan (ILL), 7-5, 6-3

Singles [Gray Bracket]

Alejandra Meza Cuadra (ILL) def. Kimberly Patenaude (Rice), 0-6, 6-2, Def.

Whitney McCray (GTech) def. Alejandra Meza Cuadra (ILL), 6-1, 6-2

Shivani Davé (ILL) def. Jen Shay (SMU), 7-6(1), 6-2

Rebecca Lin (Rice) def. Shivani Davé (ILL), 6-3, 6-2

Momei Qu (ILL) def. Emily Braid (Rice), 6-2, 6-2

Christy Striplin (GTech) def. Momei Qu (ILL), 6-7, 6-1, 6-2

Jana Bielikova (Baylor) def. Kristina Minor (ILL), 6-2, 6-2

Kristina Minor (ILL) def. Stephanie Rodriguez (Lee), 6-3, 6-1

Doubles [Blue Bracket]
Iva Mihaylova/Zuzana Chmelarova (Baylor) def. Davé /Meza Cuadra (ILL), 8-3

Christy Striplin/Amanda McDowell (GTech) def. Qu/Minor (ILL), 8-2

Finnegan/Fudge (ILL) def. Kalei Gora/Jordan McCombs (Lee), 8-6

UPCOMING MATCHES

Singles [Blue Bracket]

Megan Fudge (ILL) vs. Karen Scida (UTSA), 12 p.m.

Leigh Finnegan (ILL) vs. Christine Dao (Rice), 12 p.m.

Singles [Gray Bracket]

Alejandra Meza Cuadra (ILL) vs. Shivani Davé (ILL), 12 p.m.

Momei Qu (ILL) vs. Sandra Kukla (UTSA), 12 p.m.

Kristina Minor vs. Emily Braid (Rice), 12 p.m.

Doubles [Blue Bracket]
Dave/Meza Cuadra (ILL), 8-3 vs. Holly Phillips/Eva Silvester (UTSA), 9 a.m.

Qu/Minor (ILL) vs. Alanna Rodgers/Rebecca Lin (Rice), 9 a.m.

Finnegan/Fudge (ILL) vs., Christine Doa/Emily Braid, 9 a.m.