Highlighted by a pair of doubles victories by sophomores Olivia Wright and Isabel Petri-Bere, the UConn women’s tennis team competed in the Princeton Invitational this weekend, facing off against players from Princeton, Rutgers and LIU.
The event was in a blind dual match format, which is a change of pace from recent tournaments. In the past, the Huskies have played in bracket-style tournaments for both singles and doubles, but this weekend’s matches were limited to one singles and one doubles showdown per person facing each school. For example, UConn’s individuals each played one singles match against the Tigers on Friday, while the doubles groups played one match each against Rutgers.
Friday’s matchups were a little disappointing for Connecticut, as there was a clean 6-0 sweep for Princeton in the singles showdowns. In fact, the only Husky to take their match to a third set was Petri-Bere, who lost to Michelle Sorrokko 4-6, 7-6, 1-0(5). In doubles, UConn split their four matchups with Rutgers, with the duos of Wright/Petri-Bere and Aleksandra Karamyshev/Maria Constantinou each winning by two points or less.
Individually, Saturday was the most successful day for the Huskies, as UConn split their eight matches with FIU. Wright, Constantinou, Denise Lai, and Cameron Didion all won their contests in two sets. In the doubles portion, the Tigers continued their dominance, sweeping Connecticut in their three matches.
Sunday’s contests led to just one individual win for UConn, with Caroline Cook taking down the Scarlet Knights’ Daira Cardenas in a 7-6(1), 7-6(9) two-set thriller. The Sharks showed out in doubles, with just the duo of Wright/Petri-Bere taking home a win in the Huskies’ three opportunities.
It was a humbling weekend for UConn to say the least. While they only had one of six team contests accumulate a winning percentage of .500 or more, the Huskies gained valuable experience that should help them prepare for the upcoming spring season. They look to be a force in the Big East this year, and to be a successful team, these meets can highlight plenty of room for improvement.
The Huskies are nearing the end of their fall slate of matches, with the Brown Invitational next weekend marking the last event of the season. While the spring schedule has yet to be finalized, UConn will likely ramp things back up in early February.
