Sept. 21, 2009

Greenwood, Ind. - The Grand Valley State women's tennis team turned in several outstanding performances at the 2009 Wilson/ITA Women's Tennis Great Lakes Regional in Greenwood, Ind. The Lakers competed individually in the bracket style tournament. GVSU will host GLIAC foe Michigan Tech on Friday at 3 p.m., before entertaining Lake Superior State at 10 a.m. Saturday and Davenport at 2 p.m. All matches are slated for the GVSU outdoor courts on the Allendale campus.

The doubles play highlighted the weekend for the Lakers as juniors Chelsea Johnston and Daryl Ann Trout made it to the championship finals. Johnston and Trout, seeded #6, easily made their way through their first round opponents of Cantwell/White (Southern Ind.) by a score of 8-1. However, close matches would be on the menu for the rest of the tournament. Trout/Johnston claimed an 8-6 win over Schulz/Hargrove (Lewis) and then took down the #3 seed in dramatic fashion, winning 9-8 (4). The need for dramatics continued as the tandem beat the #2 seeded team of Bon/Gamo (Drury) in another tiebreaker 9-8 (3). The finals offered much of the same, with only the outcome being different. Johnston and Trout were down early, and then stormed back to take a lead before heading into a decisive tiebreaker for the tournament title. The #1 seeded team of Gil/Vuksanic (Wayne State) had slightly more left in the tank, as they were able to knock off Johnston and Trout by a score of 9-8 (6).

In the singles, the Lakers had two players make it to the round of 16, Tara Hayes and Daryl Ann Trout. Tara was the #8 seed in the tournament and moved through her first two rounds. Hayes won her first match versus Kelsey Yoder (Findlay) by a score of 6-3, 6-0; her second match was much of the same as she took down Meghan Teunis (U of Indy) 6-2, 6-4. In the round of 16, Hayes matched up against the #9 seeded Abbey Sharpe (Drury) and lost by a score of 6-1, 6-0. Daryl Ann Trout made quick work of her opponent in the first round beating Pujitha Bandi (Miss. St. Louis) 6-3, 6-1. Trout then took down the #10 seed, Kristina Goranskaya (Wayne State) by a score of 6-1, 2-6, 10-4. Then in the round of 16, Trout fell to the #7 seed Rebecca Porter (Bellarmine) 2-6, 7-5, 10-6.

Katelyn Schaffer also claimed a singles victory for the Lakers as she won in 3rd set tiebreaker besting Anais Molina (Lake State) 5-7, 6-2, 10-4. Schaffer then also fell to the #7 seeded Rebecca Porter (Bellarmine) by a score of 6-2, 6-3.

Chelsea Johnston and Jackie Shipman both received tough draws for their singles play. Johnston played the #9 seed Abbey Sharpe (Drury) first round and fell in a close 3-set match by a score of 2-6, 6-4, 10-5. Jackie Shipman drew the overall #1 seed in the tournament first round, Darina Berkova (Northwood) and lost by a score of 6-0, 6-0.

Katelyn Schaffer teamed up with Rachel Rendina for doubles play. The pair lost their opening round match to the #1 seeded Gil/Vuksanic (Wayne State) by a score of 8-3. The other doubles team for the Lakers was the combination of Tara Hayes and Jackie Shipman. Hayes and Shipman dropped their opening round doubles match as well, falling to the #4 seeded Ingle/Rheynard (Ferris State) 8-4.