Sept. 29, 2007
Omaha - The University of Northern Iowa women's tennis team advanced two singles and two doubles squads to the finals tomorrow at the Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championships. The Panthers finished semifinal round play with a 2-3 mark in singles play. The Panthers moved indoors for doubles play due to high winds in the Omaha area and finished with a 2-0 record.
UNI senior Carolina Hannes punched her ticket to the finals in the #5 singles flight with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over Katie O'Riley of Illinois State. Hannes will face Marie Caujolle of Indiana State tomorrow.
Freshman Diana Mendez beat Carmen Peters of Illinois State 6-4, 6-3 in the #6 singles flight. Mendez will take on Tanja Horvatic of Illinois State in the championship match.
The UNI doubles duo of sophomore Sampada Kanade and junior Taynara Moraes held off Wichita State's Torrie Browning and Olga Elkin 9-7 in #1 doubles play. Kanade and Moraes will face Jennifer Migan and Joanne Schinkerling of Indiana State tomorrow in the finals. Migan and Schinkerling will be gunning for their third consecutive MVC Individual doubles title.
Kanade fell to Katri Miller of Illinois State in the #2 singles flight 6-4, 6-2, and was unable to reach the finals for the second consecutive year. Kanade finished second last year in the #3 singles flight.
Moraes was denied a trip to the finals in the #3 singles flight after losing to Joanne Schickerling of Indiana State 7-5, 7-5. Moraes will face Kate Chybowski of Evansville tomorrow in a third place match.
Playing in the #3 doubles flight the duo of Mendez and senior Meghana Paritala rolled past Amanda Taillefer and Andrea Courtney of Southern Illinois, 8-1. The UNI duo will face Carolyne Parent and Tanja Horvatic of Illinois State in the finals.
Paritala lost to two-time defending MVC #1 singles champion Jennifer Migan of Indiana State 6-0, 6-1. Paritala will play for third place tomorrow against Veronique Parke-Bedard of Illinois State.
The Panthers will take the courts tomorrow at 8:30 a.m. in the final day of the competition.
Semifinal Round Singles Results
#1 Jennifer Migan (Indiana State) def. Meghana Paritala (UNI) 6-0, 6-1
#2 Katri Miller (Illinois State) def. Sampada Kanade (UNI) 6-4, 6-2
#3 Joanne Schickerling (Indiana State) def. Taynara Moraes (UNI) 7-5, 7-5
#5 Carolina Hannes (UNI) def. Katie O'Riley (Illinois State) 6-2, 6-4
#6 Diana Mendez (UNI) def. Carmen Peters (Illinois State) 6-4, 6-3
Semifinal Round Doubles Results
#1 Kanade/Moraes (UNI) def. Browning/Elkin (Wichita State) 9-7
#3 Paritala/Mendez (UNI) Taillefer/Courtney (Southern Illinois) 8-1
