Box Score SALEM, VA. — The first road event of the season for the Sweet Briar tennis team saw the Vixens combine for an 8-6 day, led by four wins by first-year
Ruth de Souza, at the Roanoke Invitational at the Elizabeth Campus on Saturday.
Playing two singles matches each, all in pro-set matches, the Vixens had four student-athletes in the main draw of the invitational event.
De Souza (Marilia, Brazil) opened her day by defeating Roanoke's Jessica Kennedy 8-1, before knocking off Fabienne Bachmann of Averett 8-4.
Fellow first-year
Allison Wandling (Mechanicsville, Va.) continued her impressive opening to her collegiate career with an 8-5 win over Nakia-Lee Goodall of Averett and an 8-2 rout of Inka Zeilstra of Averett. Wandling, who finished the Battle of the Blue Ridge as the singles champion, has won the first six singles matches of her Sweet Briar career.
The third first-year in the Vixens top draw lineup,
Kate Kotany (Erd, Hungary) went 1-1 on the day, knocking off Carolyn Kitsock of Roanoke 8-3 and falling 9-7 to Averett's Eleanor Crane in her second singles match of the day.
Senior
Emily Wandling (Mechanicsville, Va.) fell 8-2 to Bachmann in the opening match and dropped a 9-8 (11-9) decision to Kennedy in her second match, while sophomore
Emily Wrenn (Franklin, Va.) fell to Olivia Maccluen of Roanoke 9-7 and 8-2 to Sophie Bartholomaus of Roanoke.
Doubles play saw the Vixens go 3-1, as Averett's Bachmann and Crane knocked off
Allison Wandling and Kotany 8-5 in the opening doubles match.
Allison Wandling and Kotany bounced back with an 8-5 win over Margriet Bostoen and Kitsock of Roanoke.
The duo of
Emily Wandling and de Souza cruised to an 8-2 win over Roanoke's Lucy Collins and Kennedy, before an 8-6 win over Averett's Louise Hovhammar and Zeilstra.
The final tournament of the fall will see Sweet Briar travel to Fredericksburg, Va. to compete at the ITA Division III Southeast Regional, hosted by Mary Washington. Two Vixens enter regionals on winning streaks, while both Vixens doubles pairs enter with positive streaks.
The ITA Division III Southeast Regional is scheduled to take place from September 21 through the 23rd at Mary Washington's University Tennis Center.
