Oct. 17, 2003
NORFOLK, Va. - Results were less than favorable for the George Mason men's and women's tennis teams, following Friday (Oct. 17) action at the Old Point National Bank Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Invitational held in Norfolk, VA. Mason had two of its seven men's singles players and none of its doubles tandems advance out of the first round. For the women, two of nine singles players posted first round wins.
George Mason men's tennis player Tito Ballester (Lima, Peru/Winthrop) posted impressive victories in flight A singles as he stormed into Saturday's quarterfinals. Ballester fought past a determined Delaware opponent in round one, winning in three sets, 6-4, 3-6, 6-3. Later in the day, the 6-0 senior ousted his foe from Campbell, 7-6(5), 6-2. Also from flight A, junior Tim Bainton (Chobham Surrey, UK) and sophomore Stephan Dufils (Paris, France/ Palmer Academy) each lost 6-0, 6-1 and 7-5, 6-1, to opponents from Old Dominion and Hofstra, respectively.
The Patriots other first round winner was freshman Brendan O'Connor (Troy, NY/Troy), who topped Georgetown in straight sets in flight D, 6-4, 6-1, to earn his first collegiate singles victory. O'Connor was downed 6-0, 6-0 in the round of 16 to an opponent from Campbell. Other action from flight D witnessed sophomore Eric Vogel (Fairfax Station, VA/W.T. Woodson) lose to Campbell, 6-1, 6-1. Sophomore Miles Hughes (Lowry, VA/Jefferson Forest) dropped a 6-0, 6-1 decision to Norfolk State in flight C-1, while freshman Phu Le (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam) fell 6-2, 6-0 to Richmond in flight C-2.
In doubles action, the team of Bainton and Ballester lost 8-4 to Hofstra in flight A, while Le and O'Connor fell 8-3 to Longwood in flight C. Hughes and Vogel, who teamed for a match in flight D, were downed 8-1 to foes from James Madison.
On the women's side, the Patriots saw victories from sophomore Kelly Melichar (Burke, VA/Lake Braddock) and freshman Melissa Wooten (Chesepeake, VA/Great Bridge). Melichar bested her flight C-2 opponent from Hofstra in three sets, 6-1, 4-6, 7-5. Melichar, however, would lose 6-0, 6-2 to Georgetown in the round of 16. Wooten made her first-ever collegiate singles match a memorable one by topping her flight D-2 Hofstra opponent in straight sets. In her second career match, Wooten continued to play well on points and nearly pulled out the victory, falling 7-6(5), 7-5 to East Carolina. Among the other women's players in action Friday, sophomore Jenn Dektas (Maineville, OH/Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy) lost 6-0, 6-0 to Virginia in flight A-1, while freshman Maricel Ballester (Lima, Peru) fell to James Madison in a close flight A-2 two-set match, 7-5, 6-4.
Junior Jamie Delorie (McMurray, PA/Peters Township/St. Francis) dropped a 6-0, 6-1 decision to her opponent from Campbell in flight B-1. Junior Katie Sloper (Alexandria, VA/Bishop Ireton) was downed 6-0, 6-1 to Connecticut in flight B-2. Senior Deepti Bhalla (Lorton, VA/Hayfield) in flight C-1and sophomore Caroline Kanaskie (West Chester, PA/Unionville) in flight D-1 both fell in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0 to foes from Mary Washington and Connecticut, respectively. Junior Natalie Oudar (Manassas, VA/Osbourn) lost 6-0, 6-1 to NC State in flight D-2.
Women's doubles partners Ballester and Sloper fell 8-3 to Washington in flight B-2, while opponents from Virginia downed the duo of Bhalla and Melichar in flight C-1.
Consolation singles as well as more women's doubles action continues Saturday.
