FINAL RESULTS
DURHAM, N.C. — Junior
Emily Pena and redshirt sophomore
Frida Cnossen both won in singles and doubles to highlight play for the host Lady Eagles at the fourth annual NCCU Invitational contested Thursday-Friday, Oct. 18-19.
The 2018 edition of the NCCU Invite featured the most teams (6) and most players (26) in the two-day event yet. The Lady Eagles were joined by Charlotte, Davidson College, UNCW, Campbell University and North Carolina A&T State University.
Pena was the only player representing the Maroon and Gray that advanced to a semifinal singles match.
The Venezuelan picked up her singles win on Thursday in the White bracket over a rival from the Aggies. Pena topped N.C. A&T freshman Kaya Ellis by a score of 6-2, 6-1. Pena was eliminated on Friday in her next match to Charlotte junior Immie Cowper.
Cnossen also won her main draw opener in a gutsy rally to begin action in the Maroon flight. The Dutch player dropped her first set to Campbell junior Lucile Pons 6-0 before fighting back. Cnossen leveled the match with a 6-4 win in the second before winning the superset tiebreaker 10-7 in the third. Cnossen was eliminated in the quarterfinals to NCAT senior Fabriana Ramirez (7-5, 6-3). Cnossen was the only singles player to play two singles matches on Thursday.
NCCU posted a 3-2 record in doubles play.
Pena partnered with junior classmate
Sofia Miller for a 6-3 win over UNCW sophomore duo of Lea Dubois-Rebiere and Rishika Ravindran. Pena and Miller played one more exhibition on Friday, but lost 6-3 to Campbell senior Pauline Roustan and sophomore Inma Ramon.
Cnossen got in the doubles win column in her second match with sophomore
Polina Sakharova. They toppled the N.C. A&T freshmen squad of Brenna Bryant and Marlene Estenssoro by a 6-2 margin.
In their only doubles appearance of the tournament on Friday, NCCU freshmen
Hannah Gaines and
Ivana Dragovic dispatched Dubois-Rebiere and Ravindran by the same 6-3 score as Miller and Pena did a day earlier.
The Lady Eagles lost a total of eight singles matches, but three of them being very close affairs that went three sets. Dragovic was edged by UNCW sophomore Rachel Marthinsen in the White flight by a slim 6-4, 5-7, 10-5 tally. Sakharova was edged by Estenssoro in the Gray flight by a score of 3-6, 7-5, 10-8. In Friday's consolation play, Miller settled for a 6-2, 6-7 (6), 10-7 setback to Ravindran.
NCCU will conclude its fall season at the rescheduled Elon Fall Invitational on Friday-Sunday, Oct. 26-28.
DOUBLES
Tahlia Van Der Eerden/Zoe Radojicic (Charlotte) def.
Frida Cnossen/Polina Sakharova (NCCU) 6-2
Sofia Miller/Emily Pena (NCCU) def. Lea Dubois-Rebiere/Rishika Ravindran (UNCW) 6-3
Pauline Roustan/Imma Revert (Campbell) def.
Sofia Miller/Emily Pena (NCCU) 6-3
Frida Cnossen/Polina Sakharova (NCCU) def. Brenna Bryant/Marlene Estenssoro (NCAT) 6-2
Hannah Gaines/Ivana Dragovic (NCCU) def. Lea Dubois-Rebiere/Rishika Ravindran (UNCW) 6-3
SINGLES
Frida Cnossen (NCCU) def. Lucile Pons (Campbell) 0-6, 6-4, 1-0 (10-7)
Emily Pena (NCCU) def. Kaya Ellis (NCAT) 6-2, 6-1
Rachel Marthinsen (UNCW) def.
Ivana Dragovic (NCCU) 6-4, 5-7, 1-0 (10-5)
Marlene Estenssoro (NCAT) def.
Polina Sakharova (NCCU) 3-6, 7-5, 1-0 (10-8)
Tahlia Van Der Eerden (Charlotte) def.
Sofia Miller (NCCU) 6-4, 6-1
Fabriana Ramirez (NCAT) def.
Frida Cnossen (NCCU) 7-5, 6-3
Imogen Cowper (Charlotte) def.
Emily Pena (NCCU) 6-1, 6-0
Rishika Ravindran (UNCW) def.
Sofia Miller (NCCU) 6-2, 6-7 (6), 1-0 (10-7)
Mira Gladstone (Davidson) def.
Polina Sakharova (NCCU) 6-1, 6-0
Lea Dubois-Rebiere (UNCW) def.
Ivana Dragovic (NCCU) 6-2, 6-4
Maddy Muller-Hughes (UNCW) def.
Sofia Miller (NCCU) 6-2, 6-2
