October 5, 2012

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The UNCG women's tennis program started off with a strong 6-3 in singles and 5-2 in doubles on the first day of the Wake Forest Invitational Friday, Oct. 5. 

"It is the first event that we have the entire team competing together," said head coach Jeff Trivette. "It's exciting to get to look at our potential. We started the weekend at a high level on every court." 

Senior's Alex Whitehead (Victoria, Australia / Star of the Sea College) and Niltooli Wilkins (Burnsville, Minn. / Homeschooled) started the Spartans off on the right foot winning their matches in the first round of singles. Whitehead beat Charlotte's Natsuko Takayanagi, 7-6 (7-3), 7-5. Wilkins won in straight sets against Charlotte's Anna Ekelund, 6-0, 6-3.

Junior Dilara Yurtkuran (Istanbul, Turkey / Gunes Koleji) lost in a tough duel to Mandy Brown from Louisville, 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 7-6 (7-1).  Senior Annette Rios (Santa Ana, El Salvador / Liceo Latinoamericano) picked up a victory against Elon's Maria Camara, 6-4, 3-6, 7-5. 

Sophomore Kayla Gammie (Port St. Lucie, Fla. / Broward Virtual School) took down Appalachian State's Jennifer Ansari in an easy two matches, 6-3, 6-0, while freshman Soumeya Anane (Coventry, Great Britain / Tile Hill Wood School) beat Elon's Viviana Stavreva in two matches, 6-4, 6-0. 

Freshman Jamie Grinberg (Chapel Hill, N.C. / East Chapel Hill) won 6-3, 6-2 against Rachel Luke from Stetson. 

In doubles play, Wilkins and Whitehead took down Winthrop's Giovanna Portiolli and Alice Garcia, 8-4, before beating Hailey Barret and Ikttesh Chahal from West Virginia, 8-5. 

Rios and Gammie teamed up to win 8-3 against Radford's Taylor Newman and Taylor Fay before picking up another 8-3 win against Val Schneider and Alex Tachovsky from Lousiville. 

Anane and Yurtkuran made it to quarterfinals due to a bye, but fell to Wake Forest's Xue Zhang and Karen Forman, 8-3. 

Ellis and Grinberg battled Navy's Sam Droop and Dye Dos, 8-5, before beating Richmond's Mariana Arana and Ripley Hartmeyer, 9-8 (9-7).

2012 Wake Forest Invitational results (Day One) 

A Singles

Alex Whitehead (UNCG) defeated Natsuko Takaynagi (Charlotte), 7-6 (7-3), 7-5

Niltooli Wilkins (UNCG) defeated Anna Ekelund (Charlotte), 6-0, 6-3 

C Singles

Mandy Brown (Louisville) defeated Dilara Yurtkuran (UNCG), 7-6 (7-4), 3-6, 7-6 (7-1)

Annette Rios (UNCG) defeated Maria Camara (Elon), 6-4, 3-6, 7-5 

D Singles

Kayla Gammie (UNCG) defeated Jennifer Ansari (App. State), 6-3, 6-0

E Singles

Soumeya Anane (UNCG) defeated Ripley Hartmeyer (Richmond), 6-4, 6-0

Viviana Stavreva (Elon) defeated Amy Ellis (UNCG), 6-1, 6-1 

F Singles

Stefanie Ton (Navy) defeated Alisha Burton (UNCG), 6-3, 6-1

Jamie Grinberg (UNCG) defeated Rachel Luke (Stetson), 6-3, 6-2 

A Doubles

Wilkins/Whitehead (UNCG) defeated Portiolli/Garcia (Winthrop), 8-4

Wilkins/Whitehead (UNCG) defeated Barrett/Chahai (WVU), 8-5

B Doubles

Rios/Gammie (UNCG) defeated Newman/Fay (Radford), 8-3

Valasquez/Tachovsky (Louisville) defeated Rios/Gammie (UNCG), 8-3 

C Doubles

Zhang/Forman (Wake Forest) defeated Anane/Yurtkuran (UNCG), 8-3

D Doubles

Ellis/Grinberg (UNCG) defeated Droop/Das (Navy), 8-5

Ellis/Grinberg (UNCG) defeated Arana/Hartmeyer (Richmond), 9-8 (9-7)

 

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