Women's Tennis Has Impressive Weekend At Wofford Invite
November 01, 2015 | Women's Tennis
SPARTANBURG, S.C.- Stina Magnusson, Sandra Bolstad, each won consolation single titles, Claire Chase won the Carolina Singles Draw round robin, while Rokia Sacko and Sarah Rieckmann teamed up to win the Gold Doubles Draw consolation to highlight the Gardner-Webb women's tennis performance at the Wofford Invite.
Magnusson and Bolstad each lost their opening round match, but regrouped to win two straight matches to win the Black singles and the Wofford singles consolation championships respectively.
Chase defeated Frances Peyton (VT) 7-5, 6-2 and Lilly Ellis (Radford) 6-3 and 6-3 in straight sets but dropped her opening round set to Isabel Balsavage (NAVY), but came back to win the second and third sets (6-1, 7-6) to capture the Carolina Singles draw.
Mary Walker Mixon and Rieckman were paired together in the first match of the gold doubles draw but lost 6-2. The duo came back later on Friday afternoon and dispatched of Carolina Ferrari and Celine Schepers (Presbyterian) 6-3 in the semifinals. SRokia Sacko was originally scheduled to play doubles with Rieckman, but had to miss the first two matches on Friday due to her clincials as part of her nursing major, but the senior came back to play with Rieckamn on Saturday morning, and the duo defeated Julie Gaugery and Victoria Roberts (Arkansas State) 6-4 to win the Gold Doubles Consolation Flight.
Rieckman put forth a strong singles effort as she rebounded after dropping her first match to Amalie Davidsen (UNC Asheville), but regrouped to win her next match against Filippa Ericson (USC Upstate) 6-4, 6-2, but ultimately fell in the consolation finals match to Elizabeth Ansar. Rieckman dropped the opening set 6-4, won the second set 6-2, but lost in a third set tiebreak 10-5.
In the gold singles draw, Sacko was forced to withdraw in the match first due to her nursing clinicals, but came back on Saturday and defeated Ericka Rivero (UNC Asheville) in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 and won the opening versus Celine Schepers (Presbyterian), but dropped the final two sets 6-3 and 11-9.
Catherine White advanced to the championship draw of the SoCon singles with a straight-set victory over Calie Nguyen. The singles draw resumed on Saturday morning, and White was victorious in the quarterfinal match against Sam Droop (Navy), but her run would come to an end losing in the finals to Savannah Taranto (Western Carolina) 6-4, 7-5.
Walker-Mixon fell into the consolation flight of the College Singles draw, losing her opening round match to Erin Maguire (Westen Carolina), but the junior defeated Nicole Croxton (Presbyterian) 6-4, 6-3 to advance to the finals against Curran Carver (Wofford). Mixon would come up just short against Carver, dropping the match 6-2 and 6-4.
White and Natalie Kitchen were paired together for the Dogs in the White doubles draw and the GWU duo advanced to the championship draw with a hard fought 7-6 victory over Rozel Hernandez and Krstine Rojo (Navy). White and Kitchen defeated Carver and Catherine Martin (Wofford) 6-4, but the run for the Dogs ultimately would come to an end dropping the championship match to Elizabeth Ansari and Alexa Webb (Western Carolina) 6-2.
The Wofford Invitational was the last event of the fall portion of the 2015-16 for the Gardner-Webb women's tennis team. The Runnin' Bulldogs will return to action in 2016, when they travel to Davidson Jan. 23 to face the Wildcats at 2:00 p.m.
