Sept. 27, 2005
The Patriots men's and women's teams participated in the 26th annual DC Metro Tennis Championship during the weekend. George Mason annually competes in the event that featured 75 athletes from Howard, American, George Washington, Temple, Goucher College, Mary Washington, Mt. St. Mary's, Loyola (MD), Catholic and host Georgetown.
The women's top doubles team of Andreea Fusea and Maricel Ballester, seeded fourth, won the 16-team Flight A title. The Green and Gold duo defeated the team of Swenson/Stecko from George Washington, Harrison/DeLaCanal from American, and fourth seeded Cohen/Gin from Georgetown before winning the final game to the top-seeded team of Skravnoskia/Simunic from George Washington after the team defaulted because of an injury suffered by Simunic earlier on Sunday in singles play.
Fuseea and Ballester entered the Flight A singles competition as well. Defending champion Fusea was the top seed had a first-round bye, then defeated Sandra Simunic (George Washington), Courtney Olsen (Georgetown) before losing to third-seeded Stephanie Cohen (Georgetown). Ballester made it out of her first-round match to Malvina DeLacanal (American), but lost to Jasmine Smith from Howard.
In women's Flight B Mason's Julia Moscato defeated Nicole Henderson (Howard) and Anne Magellan (American) before losing to Christi Lazar (Loyola). The Patriots entered six players in Flight C, including top-seeded Melissa Wooten and returning player Bridget Borley, but neither got out of the first round match and lost their consolation round matches. Newcomers to the Mason program, Claudia Antezano, Jenn Kramer, Kelly McKeon and Alicia Van Zandt had some success.
Van Zandt won her first three matches to Mary O'Loughlin (Georgetown), Merissa Hollinger (American) and Paige Fenn (Howard) before losing to eventual champion Howard's Ayana Hipolite. Antezano lost her first match, but three matches in the consolation round before losing in the consolation final.
In the men's tournament, Mason's Stephan Dufils and Farshad Garakani were defeated in the first round of the Flight A singles by Andy Clayton from Georgetown and Jason Harris from American. Both lost their consolations matches. The two teamed up to play doubles and lost in the first round to Mary Washington's team of Armes/Koch.
Mason's Eric Vogel and Jordan Lipstock were entered into Flight B competition. Both lost first round matches, but Lipstock went on to win a consolation match. The team of Vogel and Rob Santos lost their first round doubles match 8-3 to Mount St. Mary's Osorio/Lamberton, but went on to defeat teams from Catholic and Loyola in the consolation round before losing to Patriot teammates Lipstock and Daniel Schneider, 8-5 in the consolation final. The team of Lipstock/Schneider lost to Georgetown in the first round before their run in the consolation finals.
In Flight C competition, Daniel Schneider defeated Turner Bailey (Loyola) and Austin Koch (Mary Wash.) before losing to second seeded Kevin Walsh (Georgetown). Santos was defeated in the first round.
The women are in dual match competition at Shepherd College on Friday at 3 p.m.
