Three schools host opening action of 2014 ITA Summer Circuit, presented by the USTA
SKILLMAN, NJ (July 2) - The University of Mary Washington, University of Missouri-Kansas City and University of New Mexico hosted opening action this past weekend for the 2014 ITA Summer Circuit, presented by the USTA.
Each event's action is recapped below:
Mary Washington
In the men's singles event at Mary Washington, top-seeded Carsten Fisher moved into the final without dropping a set. The future Dayton Flyer faced off against Allegheny's Patrick Cole, fighting back from a set down to win 3-6, 6-2, 10-5.
In women's singles, both semifinals went the distance. No. 1 seed Ryann Foster then ended unseeded Sydney Rider's surprise run to the finals with a decisive 6-1, 6-1 victory. Foster will join the Texas Longhorns in the fall.
In men's doubles action, the Allegheny duo of Cole and Tyler Triolo needed tiebreakers in the Round of 16 and the semifinals to advance to the final, where they triumphed 8-4. In the semifinals, Cole and Triolo bested host Mary Washington's duo of Evan Charles and Andrew Curtis.
In women's doubles, the third-seeded pair of Laura Dean and Victoria Olivarez bested the field, winning four straight matches. Olivarez is coming off a successful spring season at Tennessee, where she won 19 singles matches, while Dean will attend Kennesaw State in the fall.
Missouri-Kansas City
The seeds held well in men's singles, as six of eight made the quarterfinals and three seeds advanced to the semifinals. It was fifth-seeded Johnny Goodwin who cruised into the finals, surrendering just 11 games before edging Dylan Steffens, 3-6, 6-1, 10-7. Steffens earned his revenge in doubles, pairing with Court Clark for a 9-7 win over Goodwin and Jack Evans in a highly contested men's doubles final.
In the women's singles final, it was a battle of the top two seeds, with No. 1 seed Alecia Kauss coming through with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Tess Herder. The Indiana senior did not drop a set en route to the title. Kauss joined forces with Texas Tech commit Katelyn Jackson in women's doubles, and the duo were never threatened in four matches, winning 8-2 in the final.
New Mexico
Soon to be New Mexico senior Mitch McDaniels raced to the men's singles title in the opening week of the circuit, besting teammate Sean Baklini 6-4, 3-6, 10-6 in the final. The two then paired to win the men's doubles crown.
In women's singles, late addition Carmen Corley took the place of the top seed, who withdrew from the tournament and filled her shoes admirably, winning three matches en route to the title. In doubles, she teamed up with singles finalist Natasha Smith to capture the championship.
ITA Summer Circuit "Shot of the Week"
Remember to submit your pictures for the "Shot of the Week" contest, with the first winner to be selected on July 9. Please tweet or e-mail your photos by Tuesday, July 8 at noon. Next week's winner will be awarded with an ITA drawstring bag.
Upcoming Tournament Schedule:
June 30-July 6: Pittsburgh
July 5-7: Laguna Niguel, San Jose State, Wichita State, Abilene Christian
July 5-8: Purdue, Minnesota
July 6-8: Virginia Tech, Florida State
For complete coverage of the 2014 ITA Summer Circuit, presented by the USTA, including access to draws, live scores and more, please visit the official ITA event page. Follow the ITA on Twitter, @ITAtennis, or like the ITA Facebook page for updates and news. Use the hashtag #ITASummerCircuit for all tweets in regards to the event, or search the term "ITASummerCircuit" to find others who are tweeting about the circuit.
About the ITA Summer Circuit
Since its inception in 1993, nearly 30,000 men and women have competed in the ITA Summer Circuit, presented by the USTA. Providing college and junior athletes (along with alumni) the opportunity to compete in organized events year round, the Circuit remains open to anyone as long as he/she is a current ITA member. There are nine regional circuits that span across the United States, which include 36 different tournaments.
