Sept. 21, 2008

PHOTO GALLERY

CARY, N.C. - North Carolina Central University junior transfer Kateryna Chorna defeated sophomore teammate Tatiana Velasquez to claim the Flight A singles championship during the 2008 Meredith College Invitational at the Cary (N.C.) Tennis Center on Sunday (Sept. 21).

Chorna, a native of Ivano-Frankivsk, Ukraine and transfer from Barton County Community College, won the singles title by a score of 6-0, 6-1 over second-place Velasquez, who won three singles matches to advance to the finals. Chorna, the top-seeded Flight A singles player, utilized a first-round bye and two singles victories to reach the championship match.

Chorna also teamed up with fellow junior transfer Maria Medina to win the Flight A doubles championship, edging Meredith College's Katheryn Maples and Morgan Martin, 8-4, in the title match. The Lady Eagle duo battled to a 9-8 tiebreak victory in the semifinals against Meredith's Lindsey Davis and Dana Powell.

NCCU sophomore Ashley Rogers cruised to two singles victories before falling to teammate Velasquez in the Flight A semifinals, 7-6, 6-2.

Lady Eagle senior Antionette Spain won her first two Flight B singles matches, including a three-set battle with Alison Flanagan of Meredith, before dropping a two-set tiebreaker to Amanda Bitler of Meredith.

After losing her first Flight B singles match, Medina won three straight matches in the Flight B singles consolation bracket, losing only two games in six sets.

NCCU was one of four teams competing in the tournament, including host Meredith College, Peace College and Sweet Briar College.

"This was an important event because it was our first with this year's team," said NCCU women's tennis head coach David Nass. "What I discovered is that this is the best women's tennis team we've had since starting the program in 1997.

"We threw our team into a tournament against teams that traditionally have dominated us for the last 10 years, but this time with a completely different outcome," Nass said.

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NCCU Results - 2008 Meredith Invitational

Friday-Sunday, September 19-21, 2008

Cary (N.C.) Tennis Center

Flight A Singles

Tatiana Velasquez (NCCU) def. Krista Maldonado (Sweet Briar) 6-1, 6-0

Ashley Rogers (NCCU) def. Lindsey Davis (Methodist) 6-0, 6-1

Kateryna Chorna (NCCU) def. Katheryn Maples (Meredith) 6-3, 6-1

Tatiana Velasquez (NCCU) def. Brooke Baird (Meredith) 6-3, 6-3

Ashley Rogers (NCCU) def. Kaitlin Flaherty (Methodist) 6-1, 6-0

Kateryna Chorna (NCCU) def. Shannon Vivian (Methodist) 6-1, 6-2

Tatiana Velasquez (NCCU) def. Ashley Rogers (NCCU) 7-6, 6-2

Kateryna Chorna (NCCU) def. Tatiana Velasquez (NCCU) 6-0, 6-1 (Championship Match)

Flight B Singles

Antionette Spain (NCCU) def. Jill Trogden (Peace) 6-1, 6-2

Amanda Bitler (Meredith) def. Maria Medina (NCCU) 6-0, 6-4

Antionette Spain (NCCU) def. Alison Flanagan (Meredith) 6-2, 2-6, 6-1

Amanda Bitler (Meredith) def. Antionette Spain (NCCU) 6-0, 7-6 (5)

Flight B Singles Consolation

Maria Medina (NCCU) def. Leslie Polaski (Sweet Briar) 6-1, 6-0

Maria Medina (NCCU) def. Jill Trogden (Peace) 6-0, 6-0

Maria Medina (NCCU) def. Jessica Draper (Sweet Briar) 6-0, 6-1

Flight C Singles

Zannah Webster (Meredith) def. Ashley McRae (NCCU) 6-1, 6-1

Flight C Singles Consolation

Jessica Britt (Meredith) def. Ashley McRae (NCCU) 6-1, 6-1

Flight A Doubles

Kateryna Chorna/Maria Medina (NCCU) def. Alex Kerin/Kristen Starnes (Peace) 8-1

Katheryn Maples/Morgan Martin (Meredith) def. Ashley Rogers/Tatiana Velasquez (NCCU) 8-4

Kateryna Chorna/Maria Medina (NCCU) def. Lindsey Davis/Dana Powell (Methodist) 9-8(4)

Kateryna Chorna/Maria Medina (NCCU) def. Katheryn Maples/Morgan Martin (Meredith) 8-4 (Championship Match)

Flight A Doubles Consolation

Ashley Rogers/Tatiana Velasquez (NCCU) def. Krista Maldonado/Leslie Polaski (Sweet Briar) 8-3

Brooke Baird/Ashley Pearsall (Meredith) def. Ashley Rogers/Tatiana Velasquez (NCCU) 8-4

Flight B Doubles

Caitlin Dillon/Allison Smith (Meredith) def. Ashley McRae/Antionette Spain (NCCU) 8-3