North Carolina State University Athletics
NC State
University of Virginia Invitational
Nagaraj and Bhambri Team to Win Doubles Crown in Virginia
9/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Sept. 19, 2010
CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA. -
Sanaa Bhambri and Sandhya Nagaraj took home the A Doubles title Sunday to lead NC State women's tennis in a strong showing at the season-opening UVa Fall Invitational in Charlottesville, Va.
"Sanaa and Sandhya winning their draw means a lot for us," said NC State head coach Hans Olsen. "It was important for them to get in the habit of winning, they played well throughout the draw."
"We won all of our doubles matches today," said Olsen. "All of our doubles teams built good chemistry with the way they played. Overall, I saw a lot of good things from our players, especially being the first tournament of the year."
Bhambri and Nagaraj defeated the Hardenbergh/Vierra team from Virginia 8-3 to claim their fourth-straight victory as a tandem.
In singles competition, Bhambri finished second after falling to Vierra 6-4, 6-3 in the A Singles championship match. Nagaraj finished sixth in the A Singles bracket after a loss to Hardenbergh 7-6, 6-3 in the fifth place bracket.
The doubles pairing of Lenka Hojckova and Tana Illova also found success, finishing ninth place in the A Doubles bracket. After an opening round loss, Hojckova and Illova strung together three wins, ultimately defeating VCU's Bara/Terteac combo 8-2 on Sunday.
Hojckova and freshman Joelle Kissell picked up wins in the B Singles bracket. Kissell managed a seventh place finish with a 7-5, 6-1 win. Hojckova took home 13th place with a 6-2, 6-3 victory.
Illova and Christy Sipes claimed wins in the C Singles bracket, finishing fifth and 13th respectively. In B Doubles, Kissell and Sipes teamed up for a seventh place finish with an 8-4 victory.
Pender Sessoms scored her first win of the year in B Doubles by pairing up with Ashley Miller for an 8-6 win.
"We're off to a good start to the year." said Olsen. "I'm very pleased with the way the girls carried themselves on the court and the way they competed. I'm very happy with the first effort of the year."
With the UVa Fall Invitational complete, the Wolfpack now turns their attention to the ITA All-American in Pacific Palisades, Calif. beginning October 2 and running to October 10.
The full results of the UVa Fall Invitational can be viewed by clicking HERE.
