Oct. 24, 2009
Regional II Draws 
Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional Singles Main Draw
Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional Doubles Main Draw
EVANSTON, Ill. - Play began earlier today in the singles main draw at the Wilson/ITA Midwest Regional Championships hosted by Northwestern University, with three Illini advancing to the third round of the tournament.
In first-round play, Breanne Smutko defeated Paola Calderon (Marquette), 6-2, 4-6, 6-0, before falling to Lauren Lui (Northwestern), 7-6, 6-1, while Marisa Lambropoulos rallied past Gia McKnight (DePaul), 2-6, 6-3, 6-4, but fell 6-2, 6-3 to No. 2-seed Kristy Frilling (Notre Dame). After receiving first-round byes, Leigh Finnegan topped Katarina Milinkovic (DePaul), 4-6, 7-6, 6-3, Chelcie Abajian swept Linda Abu-Mushrefova (Northwestern), 6-4, 6-4, while Megan Fudge edged past Kristin Rafael (Notre Dame), 7-6, 6-7, 6-2 and Rachael White was defeated by Kate Turvy (Northwestern), 1-6, 6-4, 6-2.
Prior to singles play, all three Illini doubles pairs fell in the third round, as Abajian and White lost 8-3 to Cami Hubbs and Kelsey Haviland (Ohio State), Fudge and Smutko were defeated by Tania Mahtani and Denise Muresan (Michigan), 9-7 and Finnegan and Lambropoulos were topped by Maria Mosolova and Brittany Wowchuck (Northwestern), 8-6.
At the Regional II hosted by the University of Illinois, Christine Stromberg and Amy Allin advanced to the semifinals of singles play, while Allin and Annie McCarthy knocked off Iowa's top-seeded team of Merel Beelen and Zuzana Chmelarova, 8-6 to reach the championship round of doubles.
Stromberg defeated Nicole Miller (Bradley), 6-3, 6-3 and Kathleen Saltarelli (Wisconsin), 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 en route to the semifinals, while Allin rallied past Beelen, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4 and Jessica Young (Iowa), 6-4, 4-6, 7-5. McCarthy topped Ally Majercik (Iowa), 4-6, 6-2, 6-4, before falling in the quarterfinal to No. 3-4 seed Chmelarova, 6-2, 7-5, while Kristina Minor also advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating Kelcie Klockenga (Iowa), 6-3, 6-1, but lost 7-6 (5), 6-4 to No. 2-seed Aleksandra Markovic (Wisconsin).
Singles play resumes tomorrow morning at Northwestern, while the doubles championship match and first singles semifinal match of the Regional II is set to begin tomorrow morning as well, with the singles championship match to follow.
