Aug. 17, 2011

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Illini redshirt senior Marisa Lambropoulos, juniors Breanne Smutko and Rachael White and sophomore Allison Falkin competed in the USTA/ITA National Summer Championships, Aug. 13-17 in Bloomington, Ind. The competition marked the final tournament in the month-long ITA Summer Circuit series, which took place in eight regions throughout the nation. Incoming freshman Melissa Kopinski also played at the national level last week, taking on the country's best in the Girls' 18 division at the USTA National Championships, Aug. 6-14 in San Diego, Calif.

In USTA/ITA action, second-seeded White captured a 6-4, 7-6 victory over Alabama's Emily Zabor after receiving a bye to the second round. But the Deerfield, Ill. native later found herself on the wrong side of an upset, dropping her third-round match to Northwestern's Nida Hamilton, 4-6, 6-1, 1-0 (5).

Teammate Marissa Lambropoulos also claimed her opening match in straight sets, downing Alabama's Alex Clay, 6-4, 6-1, and continued her success with a hard-fought victory over Georgia Tech's Elizabeth Kilborn, 6-1, 5-7, 1-0 (5). Despite Lambropoulos' momentum, top-seeded Mallory Burdette of Stanford gave the Illini more than she could handle, as Lambropoulos suffered a 6-2, 6-4 loss in the third round.

Meanwhile, Smutko and Falkin each dropped to the consolation bracket after losing their opening matches. Smutko recovered, however, bouncing back with two victories before stumbling to Georgia Tech's Alex Anghelescu in round three of consolation play, while Falkin lost to Alabama's Courtney McLane in round one.

In the USTA National Championships, Kopinski captured an opening-round victory before falling to fifth-seeded Sachia Vickery, 6-2, 6-1. The Illini newcomer then dropped to the consolation draw, where she won two matches in straight sets but lost a 5-7, 7-5, 1-0 (6) thriller to Samantha Asch in round three.

For USTA/ITA results, go HERE. For USTA results, go HERE.