Women's Tennis Dominates First Day of Virginia Tech Invitational

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Sept. 27, 2002

BLACKSBURG, VA – The Virginia women’s tennis team opened their 2002 fall season Friday as play began at the Virginia Tech Fall Invitational. The Cavaliers made an immediate statement in their first event of they year as the Cavaliers went undefeated on the day, winning all 15 singles and both doubles matches they played on the day.

In singles play, the tournament’s top two seeds in the Maroon Draw, UVa’s Henriette Williams and Jen Tuchband both won second round matches to advance to the quarterfinals following first round byes. Dora Bechliwanis and Kristen James advances to the quarterfinals with first round wins and them upsetting the No. 3 and No. 4 seeds respectively in the second round. Lori Stern also won first and second round matches to advance to the quarterfinals.

In the Orange singles draw, No. 3 seed Marta Bechliwanis advanced to the quarterfinals with a first round bye and a second round win. Lauren Bruch and Kyle Montgomery advanced to the quarterfinals with first round wins and upsets of the No. 2 and No. 4 seeds in the second round. The fourth Virginia quarterfinalist in the Orange Draw is Laura James, who also won her two matches on Friday.

The strong Cavalier play continued in doubles, where two Cavalier teams advanced to the quarterfinals with a win, and two others with byes. In the Maroon Draw, the team of the Bechliwanis sisters advanced with a first round win and join the No. 1 seeded team of Tuchband and Williams, who had a first round bye. In the Orange Draw, Kristen James and Montgomery recorded a first round win to join the top seeded team of Stern and Bruch in the quarterfinals.

The three day tournament continues Saturday at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center in Blacksburg.

Virginia Results

Maroon Draw – First Round(1) Henriette Williams (UVa) – BYE(2) Jen Tuchband (UVa) – BYEKristen James (UVa) def. Sylwia Ziolkowska (ETSU) 6-3, 6-2Dora Bechliwanis (UVa) def. Gemma Halim (ETSU) 6-1, 6-1Lori Stern (UVa) def. Courtney McInnis (ETSU) 6-2, 6-1

Second Round(1) Henriette Williams (UVa) def. Jessica Irey (ETSU) 6-1, 6-2Kristen James (UVa) def. (4) Myrna Bawona (NCSU) 6-0, 7-5Lori Stern (UVa) def. Alena Mitackova (Hamp) 6-1, 2-6, 6-3Dora Bechliwanis (UVa) def. (3) Kristen Stubbs (VT) 3-6, 7-5, 6-4(2) Jen Tuchband (UVa) def. Dita Hauerlandova (Hamp) 6-2, 6-0

Orange Draw – First RoundLaura James (UVa) def. Ashley Reyher (JMU) 6-1, 6-1Kyle Montgomery (UVa) def. Aimee Villavicencio (ETSU) 6-0, 6-0(3) Marta Bechliwanis (UVa) BYELauren Bruch (UVa) def. Holly Asel (Marshall) 6-0, 6-2

Orange Draw – Second RoundLaura James (UVa) def. Ana Maria Simanca (Winthrop) 6-2, 6-0Kyle Montgomery (UVa) def. (4) Lucie Novoveska (Hampton) 6-1, 6-0(3) Marta Bechliwanis (UVa) def. Renata Hlavova (Hampton) 6-1, 6-1Lauren Bruch (UVa) def. (2) Meredith Vincent (VT) 6-1, 6-2

Maroon Doubles Draw – First Round(1) Tuchband/Williams (UVa) – BYED. Bechliwanis/M. Bechliwanis (UVa) def. Halim/Irey (ETSU) 8-1

Orange Doubles Draw – First Round(1) Bruch/Stern (UVa) – BYEK. James/Montgomery (UVa) def. Arriaran/Villavicencio (ETSU) 8-0