Sept. 24, 2011

West Point, N.Y. - The Fordham University women's tennis team competed on day two of the 2011 West Point Eastern Invitational with Amy Simidian advancing to the finals of the A Singles bracket while the doubles team of Sarah Ali and Bella Genkina also moved to the finals with a pair of wins today.

Simidian started the day with a win over Stony Brook's Katherine Hanson, taking the first set, 6-1, before dropping the second, 3-6. But Simidian came back to win the tiebreaker, 10-4, to advance to the semifinals. The match was the second between Simidian and Hanson in the past week, with Hanson upending Simidian last week at the Stony Brook Invitational.

Simidian then advanced to the finals with a straight set win over Julia Pranti of FDU, 6-2 and 6-2. She will take on top-seeded Nina Lagvilava from Stony Brook on Sunday.

In the A doubles quarterfinals, Ali and Genkina, who were seeded third, defeated Hofstra's Malissa Galanchi and Sonia Tsay, 8-0, in the quarterfinals and then bested Army's Della Taylor and Elle Taylor, the number one seed in the tournament, 8-5, in the semis to advance to the Sunday's finals. Ali and Genkina will face Quinnipiac's Michelle Dassa and Jackie Raynor, the second seed, in the finals.

Also competing in singles play for Fordham on day two was Julie Leong, who fell to Massachusetts' Chanel Glasper in the quarterfinals of the C Singles flight, winning first set, 7-5, before losing the second, 6-4. Gasper then won the match by winning the tiebreaker, 10-5.

In other action at the Eastern Invitational today, the B Doubles team of Bethany Boyle and Taylor Holt took Pittsburgh's Minh Evans and Karma Parbhu, the second seeded team in the draw, to the limit before falling, 9-8 (1).

In back draw singles play, Fordham's Hanna Fritzinger fell to Seton Hall's Pui Wing-Sher, 8-2, while Sarah Tremaine lost to Army's Larraine Saavedra, 8-2, in D Singles.

2011 West Point Eastern Invitational

A Singles
Q - Amy Simidian (F) def. Katherine Hanson (SB), 6-1, 3-6, 10-4
S - Amy Simidian (F) def. Julia Pratt (FDU, 6-2, 6-2

C Singles
Chanel Glasper (UMass) def. Julie Leong (F), 5-7, 6-4, 10-5

A Doubles
Q - Sarah Ali / Bella Genkina (F) def. Malissa Galanchi/Sonia Tsay (Hofstra), 8-0
S - Sarah Ali / Bella Genkina (F) def. Della Taylor/Elle Taylor (Army), 8-5

B Doubles
S - Minh Evans/Karma Parbhu (Pitt) def. Bethany Boyle / Taylor Holt, 9-8 (1)

B Honors Singles Back Draw
Pui Wing-Sher (Seton Hall) def. Hanna Fritzinger (F), 8-2

D Singles Back Draw
Larraine Saavedra (Army) def. Sarah Tremaine (F), 8-2