July 10, 2009

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – Sophomore Caroline Lilley of Portland, Ore., started summer tournament play in the Southeast Region ITA Women’s Summer Circuit. Florida State hosted the first of four regional tournaments at the Scott Speicher Center from Wednesday, July 8 to Friday, July 10.

Lilley, the No. 7 seed of the tournament, cruised through the first day of competition in the B Draw. As Wednesday’s matches began, the Portland, Ore., native allowed only one game by Gabriella Celie to defeat her opponent, 6-1, 6-0. The Round of 16 took place later in the afternoon with another win by the Wildcat, trumping Jordan Hansbrough, 6-2, 6-2.

The second day of matches advanced Lilley to the semifinals. After defeating Ebie Wilson in the quarterfinals, Lilley faced the No. 2 seed Lauren Macfarlane. It has a tough battle as Macfarlane took the first set 6-1 and Lilley secured the next 6-3. Per tournament rules, a 10-point match tie-breaker was used in place of a third set. The pair rallied back and forth but Macfarlane ultimately prevailed, winning 10-7.

Lilley also played doubles and was paired with Kaysara Mandry. The duo fell to No. 1 seed Natalie Pluskota and Sianna Simmons, 8-2.

Last season Lilley notched a team-high 25 singles wins and qualified for the NCAA doubles championship with partner Carolina Escamilla. The pair created the first big upset of the tournament to advance to the Round of 16, defeating the No. 3 seed, UCLA’s Andrea Remynse and Yasmin Schnack.