Tennis Competes At Grizzly Open

Members of the Brenau tennis team competed at the Grizzly Open, hosted by Georgia Gwinnett College this past weekend in Lawrenceville.

Team members competed in singles and doubles against other regional NAIA and NCAA Division I and II players.

In the opening round of the "A" Flight singles draw, Patricia Recalde defeated Anatasia Grosheva of NCAA Division I Georgia State University 6-1, 6-3. Rebecca Pijls also won her first match with a 2-6, 6-3, 10-6 victory over Sara Watson from West Georgia University (NCAA Division II). Maya Mammetgulyyeva lost a very competitive opening round match to Francine Botella, 6-3, 6-7 (4), 10-7.

In the "A" Flight round of 16, Recalde lost to Carlye Goldman (Rollins University) 6-2, 6-2 and Pijls fell 6-1, 6-1 to Georgia State's Kristin Rhese.

In the "B" Flight of singles play, all three Brenau players won their opening matches as Paula Rives, Kirsten Dickins and Elizabeth Bielicki emerged victorious from the round of 32. However, each lost their round of 16 matches as Rives fell to Alex Borg (Rollins College) 6-4, 6-2, Dickens lost to Luz Padilla (Point University) 6-2, 6-4 and Bielicki dropped her match to Marie Dubruyn (Rollins College) 7-5, 6-0.

In the main draw of doubles play, Mammetgulyyeva and Pijls won their opening match 8-1 over England/Watson from West Georgia , but lost 8-6 in the round of 16. The team of Rives and Recalde also won their opening round matchup 9-8 (1) over a team from Alabama State University, but also fell in the round of 16 to Georgia Gwinnett College. Dickins and Beilicki also lost in their opening round match.

"We won and lost a few matches in the details this weekend," said head coach Andre Ferreira. "Overall, our girls are handling the close matches and the moments of pressure, better than they did before. I think their level of maturity is increasing and, therefore, they are becoming more comfortable in uncomfortable situations. It makes a difference when they come to that conclusion on their own."