The Big Red women’s tennis team sent its four best players to the Cissie Leary Invitational this weekend to battle a strong collection of teams. Following a successful weekend in Syracuse the Red entered the competition at the University of Pennsylvania with high spirits.
Sophomores Piper Lucas and Daniela DelPrete both won their first-round singles matches. Lucas took her first match over Rachel Shweky of Penn in a convincing two-set performance, 6-2, 6-3. In the second round, Lucas lost a very tight three-set match with Rebecca Ho of Penn State, 7-6, 4-6, 6-4.
Daniela DelPrete edged Kyli Lassalle of Seton Hall in a first-set tiebreaker en route to a victory, 7-6, 6-2. Both Alex DelPrete and Camila Romulo, who had a first round bye, were defeated in tough second-round matches.
The doubles teams also met challenging opponents in their matches. The DelPrete sisters won their first match against Dartmouth easily, but lost in the second round to Columbia’s Joyce Chang and Melissa Nguyen, 8-3. Romulo and Lucas lost their first-round bout to a skilled duo from Richmond University.
Contrary to the weak caliber of teams that the Big Red met in Syracuse, this tournament showcased some very solid women’s tennis teams. The field included Penn, Seton Hall, Richmond, Dartmouth, Princeton, Penn State, and Columbia, who were all capable squads.
Although the Red didn’t win any of its second round matches, the women played well and are looking forward to the Brown Invitational on October 6-8. Hopefully, the team can recapture the intensity that it played with in the SUnity Life Tennis Classic a few weekends ago, and carry it along to Providence, R.I.
Archived article by Nick Schieffelin