BLACKSBURG, Va. – Golden Eagle freshman Victoria Cran
advanced to the Flight D semifinals to highlight the first day of
play for four Tennessee Tech women’s tennis players at the
Virginia Tech Invitational.
Cran opened play with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Sally Wilkey of
Elon, then battled back to pull out a 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over
Appalachian State’s Gisela Fernandez.
Cran, a freshman from Yorkshire, England, will face Virginia
Tech’s Emily Lauten Saturday afternoon.
Junior Diana Woodcock also played in Flight D, dropping her first
match to Thaddea Lock of Marshall, 6-1, 6-1. Woodcock will meet
Blakely Bean of Appalachian State Saturday in the consolation
rounds.
In Flight B, sophomore Laura Porras drew East Tennessee’s
Kelly Holtzhausen in the opening round and dropped a 6-1, 6-2
contest. Porras lost a tough 6-2, 7-5 decision to Staphani Synn of
Davidson in the consolation round.
Tech’s entry in Flight C was Katie Barnhill, who dropped a
6-1, 6-2 decision to Marshall’s Dominika Zapranza in the
first round. Appalachian State’s Olivia Stannard eliminated
Barnhill with a 6-2, 7-6 (2) decision.
Porras and Woodcock paired up to play in Flight A doubles,
dropping an 8-1 match to Anna Millan and Elisa Simonette of Elon.
The Tech duop will play Saturday morning against a doubles team
from Appalachian State in the consolation rounds.
In doubles Flight B, Barnhill and Cran fell to Lauten and Christin
Newman of Virginia Tech, 8-1 on Friday. They will face an Elon
twosome Saturday morning.