Stephen F. Austin
Rice Invitational
SFA Posts Eight Singles Victories, Three Doubles Wins at Rice Invitational
9/23/2018 7:53:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Tiboldi advances to finals of flight seven singles bracket
Complete Rice Invitational Results
HOUSTON - A number of excellent individual and team performances highlighted the SFA tennis team's weekend at the Rice Invitational. The Ladyjacks were one of 15 NCAA Division I teams competing in Houston and were taking part in their first tournament of the 2018 fall season.
In all, SFA turned in a 8-10 record in singles matches and a 3-5 showing in doubles tilts through the three-day tournament which was marred by some rainy conditions in the Houston area.
Three of the six Ladyjacks' singles competitors - Kaja Ljubic, Darinka Tiboldi and Kyndall Misak - notched a pair of wins through the three-day tournament with Tiboldi advancing to the finals of the finals of the eight-woman flight seven singles bracket. SFA's junior defeated North Texas' Sille Tranberg 6-3, 6-1 and punched her ticket to the finals by besting Rishona Lewis.
In the finals, Tiboldi dropped a 6-1, 5-7, 10-7 decision to North Texas competitor Nidhi Surapaneni.
After dropping a tough three-set decision to Sam Houston Satte's Petra Kaszas to begin the tournament, Ljubic found success on the back draw side of the bracket. SFA's lone senior took down UTSA's Charleen Tiwari (6-2, 6-4) as well as Texas State's Josefina Cassara (6-3, 7-6 (5)) to finish off her 2-1 weekend of singles action.
Misak bounced back from an early set one loss to Texas State's Joy Chia in her first match of the tournament and battled back to advance in the winners bracket with an 0-6, 6-3, 6-1 victory. Though Misak suffered a 6-4, 6-2 setback to UT-Arlington's Nanaka Takeuchi, the redshirt freshman finished her weekend with a 6-3, 6-3 triumph over Sam Houston State's Roos Gerritsen.
The SFA tandem of Misak and Vera Carvalho picked up two of the Ladyjacks' three doubles victories through the three-day tournament. After falling 6-0 to Sam Houston State's duo of Gerritsen and Stevie Ybarra on day one, the Ladyjack team scored a 6-3 win over the Texas State/Sam Houston State duo of Sofia Murcia/Asni Hill. Carvalho and Misak closed out their run through the back draw side of the bracket with a hard-fought 7-5 win over Texas State's Josefina Cassara and and Andrea Fuchs.
Guilarte and Tiboldi locked down the Ladyjacks' third and final doubles victory of the tournament by turning in a 7-6 result over South Florida's Amelie Boy and Ana Roman in the tandem's opening match.
The Ladyjacks will continue their fall season Friday and Saturday (Sept. 28-29) by heading to Lafayette, La., to take part in the Ragin' Cajuns Invitational.
-SFA-
Players Mentioned
