Oct. 25, 2008

Athens, Ga. - >ITA Results [Day Two] | Updated ITA Bracket

Freshman Alessa Waibel and sophomore Jenna Osborne led a group of Miami Hurricanes womenÂÂ�fs tennis players that continued their hot play on Saturday at the Wilson/ITA Southern Regional WomenÂÂ�fs Tennis Championships in Athens, Georgia.

After rain cancelled singles play on Friday, two rounds of action proceeded on Saturday at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex on the campus of the University of Georgia.

Waibel and Osborne picked up an 8-5 decision over UCFÂÂ�fs Jenny Frisell and Isa Ohlinger in order to advance to the finals of the ÂÂ�gBÂÂ�h Doubles bracket to be held on Sunday. The Hurricane netters will face the doubles team from either Jacksonville or Alabama on Sunday.

In singles action, No. 109 Bianca Eichkorn (5th seed) collected back-to-back wins to advance herself to the Round of 16. The sophomore from Tengen, Germany started the day with a 7-5, 7-5 win over AlabamaÂÂ�fs Meritt Emery in the ÂÂ�gAÂÂ�h Singles bracket.

Eichkorn continued her strong outing by outscoring Hillary Davis (Georgia Tech) on scores of 6-1, 6-1. SheÂÂ�fll take on MississippiÂÂ�fs Karen Nijssen on Sunday. Nijssen of Ole Miss is seeded 15th for this weekendÂÂ�fs tournament.

In other ÂÂ�gAÂÂ�h singles action, sophomore Michaela Kissell (No. 49), seeded 6th this weekend, won both of her matches on the day in straight-set fashion. Kissell began her run with a 6-1, 6-0 victory over Jessica Wente (Florida State), and then passed AlabamaÂÂ�fs Courtney McLane, 6-1, 6-1.

Waibel was entered into the top-half of the ÂÂ�gAÂÂ�h singles bracket for the Hurricanes, though the young freshman fell in a three-set marathon (6-1, 6-7, 0-6) to AlabamaÂÂ�fs Paulina Bigos. Fellow freshman Gabriela Mejia was matched up with No. 70 Megan Alexander of Florida in her first round match, falling to the 9th-seeded Gator, 6-1, 6-0.

Claudia Wasilewski was impressive on Saturday with a win over Jessica Sweeting (USF) in straight sets, 6-4, 6-1, but later fell in her afternoon match. The sophomore from France was topped by No. 57 Christy Striplin (7th seed) of ACC competitor Georgia Tech, 6-1, 6-0.

In ÂÂ�gBÂÂ�h singles action, Jenna Osborne had a win over Alena Sergeychik of Kennesaw State, 6-0, 6-4 in her opening round of play. However, the sophomore from South Africa was topped in her second round by Valeriya Makarycheva (Ole Miss), 6-2, 6-0.

Action continues tomorrow for the Hurricanes as Kissell and Eichkorn move on to the Round of 16 in singles play, as well as the doubles competition together in ÂÂ�gAÂÂ�h action.

The 2008 ITA Southern Regional field features the following schools: Alabama, Alabama-Birmingham, Auburn, Central Florida, Florida, Florida A&M, Florida Gulf Coast, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Southern, Georgia State, Georgia Tech, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Miami (Fla.), Mississippi, Mississippi State, Samford, South Florida, Stetson and Troy.

As the governing body of collegiate tennis the ITA promotes both the athletic and academic achievements of the collegiate tennis community. The ITA, which was founded in 1956 and is based in Skillman, N.J., administers numerous regional and national championships, the ITA Collegiate Summer Circuit presented by the USTA, and the ITA Rankings for men's and women's tennis at the NCAA Divisions I, II and III, NAIA and Junior/Community College. The ITA also has a comprehensive awards program for players and coaches to honor excellence in academics, leadership and sportsmanship. The official ITA website is www.itatennis.com.

Results will be updated daily on the UGA website as well at www.georgiadogs.com.