LEXINGTON ? The Kentucky women?s tennis team kicked off its fall schedule this weekend at the St. Mary?s Classic hosted by Tennessee, highlighted by a singles title for Jessica Giuggiolo and a doubles crown for the team of Kim Coventry and Carolina Escamilla.
The tournament hosted eight teams ? all of which participated in the 2006 NCAA Tournament ? and featured six singles and three doubles draws.
The duo of Coventry and Escamilla, ranked eighth nationally cruised to the Flight One doubles title, knocking off two ranked teams in the process. East Tennessee State?s Olya Batsula and Tara Byrne provided little opposition in the opening round, falling 8-5.
Coventry and Escamilla followed by beating No. 40 Austin Smith and Meg Fanjoy of North Carolina and No. 56 Alex Hirsch and Sierra Poske of Wake Forest by identical 8-4 scores to win the crown.
Both Smith and Hirsch got the better of Coventry ? ranked 35th nationally ? in the singles Flight One draw while she beat Batsula.
A sophomore from Torino, Italy, Giuggiolo won the Flight Four singles draw by rallying from a set down in both the semifinal and final. She opened on Friday by handily beating North Carolina?s Alexandra Jurewitz, 6-3, 7-5. On Saturday, she came back for a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win over N.C. State?s, Niels Barringer. Giuggiolo took home the crown with a 1-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1 win over Poske.
Senior Joelle Schwenk earned third-place honors in the singles Flight Two draw. She opened with a dominating 6-1, 6-2 win over Tar Heel Laura Reichert. After losing to Kelley Hyndman in the semifinal, Schwenk took third over Wake Forest?s Ana Jerman.
Playing in her first tournament, freshman Christine Johnston reached the final of the Flight Six draw. She coasted in straight sets in the first two rounds before falling in the final. In her first collegiate match, she crushed the Wolfpacks? Allison Berry, 6-0, 6-0. She followed with a hard-fought 7-6 (7), 6-3 win over Demon Deacon Jenna Loeb.
2006-07 UK Women?s Tennis St. Mary?s Classic Knoxville, Tenn. Sept. 15-17. 2006 Singles Flight One No. 117 Austin Smith (UNC) def. No. 35 Kim Coventry (UK), 6-1, 6-4 No. 35 Kim Coventry (UK) def. Olya Batsula (ETSU), 2-6, 6-3, 6-1 No. 32 Alex Hirsch (Wake Forest) def. No. 35 Kim Coventry (UK), 6-0, 6-2 Singles Flight Two Joelle Schwenk (UK) def. Laura Reichert (UNC), 6-1, 6-2 Kelley Hyndman (UGA) def. Joelle Schwenk (UK), 6-1, 6-3 Joelle Schwenk (UK) def. Ana Jerman (Wake Forest), default (injury) Singles Flight Three Meg Fanjoy (UNC) def. Carolina Escamilla (UK), 4-6, 6-3, 7-5 Alexandra Guerra (NC State) def. Carolina Escamilla (UK), 6-4, 6-4 Carolina Escamilla (UK) def. Anna Dzeva (Purdue), 6-4, 6-5 Singles Flight Four Jessica Giuggiola (UK) def. Alexandra Jurewitz (UNC), 6-3, 7-5 Jessica Giuggiola (UK) def. Niels Barringer (NC State), 6-3, 6-4 Jessica Giuggiola (UK) def. Sierra Poske (Wake Forest), 1-6, 7-6 (7), 6-1 Singles Flight Five Whitney Spencer (UK) def. Agustina Arechavaleta (NC State), 6-2, 3-6, 6-0 Sasha Kulikova (Wake Forest) def. Whitney Spencer (UK), 6-1, 6-3 Elena Volobueva (ETSU) def. Whitney Spencer (UK), 6-4, 1-6, 6-2 Singles Flight Six Christine Johnston (UK) def. Allison Berry (NC State), 6-0, 6-0 Christine Johnston (UK) def. Jenna Loeb (Wake Forest), 7-6 (7), 6-3 Zsofia Zubor (Tennessee) def. Christine Johnston (UK), 6-3, 6-0 Doubles Flight One No. 8 Escamilla/Coventry (UK) def. Batsula/Byrne (ETSU), 8-5 No. 8 Escamilla/Coventry (UK) def. No. 40 Smith/Fanjoy (UNC), 8-4 No. 8 Escamilla/Coventry (UK) def. No. 56 Hirsch/Poske (Wake Forest), 8-4 Doubles Flight Two Schwenk/Spencer (UK) def. Reichert/Jurewitz (UNC), 9-8 (1) Kulikova/Tara (Wake Forest) def. Schwenk/Spencer (UK), 8-5 Vogel/Whoriskey (Tennessee) def. Schwenk/Spencer (UK), 8-6 Doubles Flight Three Volobueva/Moskoliova (ETSU) def. Winebrenner/Johnston (UK), 9-8 Bleakley/Barringer (NC State) def. Spencer/Johnston (UK), 8-4
