Sept. 28, 2008
NORFOLK, Va. - Agatha Palider won her second career front draw title and MacKenzie Swindall won her first collegiate match to lead the Kennesaw State Women's Tennis team at Old Dominion University's Hampton Roads Open this weekend.
Palider lost only six games on her push to the finals, turning in an almost identical performance to her C flight win in last season's UNC Wilmington Invitational. Playing in the D flight this weekend, Palider won her first round match 6-0, 6-0 over Queens' Jessie Franklin before sweeping Brittany Pilkington 6-4, 6-1 in the quarters.
She then dropped only one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win over Hofstra's Tracey Ferrar to set up a showdown with teammate Courtney Cox in the final. Cox took the first set 6-3, before Palider fought back to win the second 6-1. Palider claimed her second title with a 7-6 (9) win over her younger teammate in the third set.
Cox made her way to the finals on the strength of two wins and a withdrawal by her opponent. She won her first round match over Virginia Wesleyan's Frances Ferdinand 6-3, 6-0 and beat Campbell's Courtney Armitano 2-6, 6-0, 10-8 in the quarters. Her third round opponent withdrew, setting up her match with Palider.
After sitting out the season-opening Steve Baras Fall Classic, Swindall earned her first collegiate singles wins with victories in the first two rounds of the C flight this weekend. Swindall was in control her entire first match, winning 6-4, 6-0 over Richmond's Catherine Crystal. She looked even stronger in her quarterfinal match with Hofstra's Brooke Sailer, winning 6-2, 6-0 before ODU's Marija Citic eliminated her 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Morgan Carney made a run of her own into the finals. She beat Morgan State's Alexis McCoy 6-4, 7-6 (4) in the C flight round of 16 before losing 4-6, 0-6 Campbell's Blanca Saenz 6-4, 6-0 in the quarterfinals. She advanced straight to the finals though when her semifinal opponent and Saenz withdrew, but couldn't take the title when Citic swept her 6-3, 6-3.
Citic also eliminated Alena Sergeychik from the C flight. Sergeychik won her first round match with Queens' Maria Perevezentiva 6-2, 6-0, before Citic dropped her 6-4, 7-6 (5).
Vera Shkundina, who won the A2 flight at the Steve Baras without losing a set, lost her first match of the season after falling 6-1, 6-3 to ODU's Irina Dementyeva in the B flight round of 16. She quickly rebounded, winning the consolation bracket with a pair of straight-set wins. Shkundina blanked NSU's Ashley Daugherty 6-0, 6-0 before taking out teammate Ayano Tanaka 6-1, 6-2 to win the back draw.
Tanaka lost 6-3, 6-2 to Helen Cunningham of Richmond to fall into the consolation bracket where she earned her first two singles wins of the season. Tanaka advanced straight to the semifinals after her first round opponent withdrew with and injury and she received a second round bye. She then cruised past Hofstra's Zoe Taylor 6-3, 7-5 before losing to Shkundina in the finals.
Lindsay Dillon looked sharp in her first round match in the D singles flight, dominating Virginia Wesleyan's Morgan Franklin 6-0, 6-0 before losing to Ferrar 2-6, 6-2, 10-4 in the quarterfinals.
The Owls will return to action on Friday when they travel to Cincinnati, Ohio for the second-straight year to compete in the Queen City Invitational on October 3-5.
