Oct. 25, 2002
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - The Purdue women's tennis team went 8-2 for the day at the ITA/Omni Hotels Regional Championships in East Lansing today.
Purdue head coach Mat Iandolo said the team is excited and confident.
"They are very aggressive and are determined to turn some heads," Iandolo said.
The morning was highlighted by two Boilermakers advancing to the main draw of singles beginning on Saturday, Oct. 26.
Freshman Brittany Reitz defeated Kelly Nelson of Notre Dame 6-2, 6-2 while sophomore Shawna Zuccarini upended Debra Streifler of Michigan 6-1, 6-7, 7-6(5). Both are 3-0 for the tournament.
"Brittany and Shawna are feeding off of each other," Iandolo said. "They are playing with a lot of intensity and it shows on the court."
Two Boilermaker doubles teams will compete in the third round tomorrow.
Reitz and sophomore Lara Burgarello upset 29th-ranked and No. 5 seed Michaela Havelkova and Valerie Vladea of Minnesota 8-6 and then, went on to defeat Valeria Stoilova and Rattiya Hiranrat of Western Michigan 8-5.
Purdue's 33rd-ranked and No. 6 seed junior Gretchen Haynor and senior Missy Wright defeated Lindsay Martin and Teresa Gonzaga of Wisconsin 8-3. They also defeated Jenny Batty and Leisa Brooks of Ball State 8-6.
Senior Melissa Iqbal and junior Melissa Woods lost 8-6 to No. 7 seed Michelle DaCosta and Leanne Rutherford of Michigan.
The third round of doubles will be played on Saturday, Oct. 25 in the morning with the main draw of singles opening with two rounds. Full results for the ITA/Omni Hotels Regional Championships can be found at www.msuspartans.com.