FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. – California sophomores Maegan Manasse and Denise Starr captured the consolation doubles title on Sunday as the USTA/ITA National Women's Indoor Intercollegiate Championships came to a close. The Golden Bears took second place in two other indoor finals at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.
The Bears' Karla Popovic also took second place on Sunday in the singles tournament at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational (see below).
In New York, the top-seeded and 11th-ranked Cal pair played against Michigan's second-seeded Emina Bektas and Alexandria Najarian in the tight consolation final, with both sets going to tiebreakers. Manasse and Starr ultimately prevailed, 7-6(5), 7-6(3), in what was Cal's last match at the indoor event.
“We got to end the day on a high note in winning the doubles,” Cal head coach Amanda Augustus said. “It was a close match. The Michigan pair was very up and down. Denise and Maegan were more aggressive in the end when it mattered. They hit a lot of overheads and a lot of good serves. We're happy to have had a really good showing by everyone on the team who was here and also by the group in Arizona, which did a good job as well.”
Earlier in the day, Manasse was looking to become just the second Bear to win the main draw singles championship. But the fifth-seeded and 43rd-ranked Manasse fell to Virginia's sixth-seeded and fifth-ranked Julia Elbaba, 6-2, 7-5.
“It was a great final,” Augustus said. “Maegan played well. Julia just played a little bit better. She hit some really aggressive forehands and serves, and Maegan made a good rally in the second set, which was really tight. But ultimately it just didn't go our way. Maegan had a fantastic tournament. It's something to be really proud of.”
“When we first found out we got to play in doubles here, we were so happy, and we were so happy to do well in the consolation final today,” Manasse said. “Finding out I got to play singles was really exciting. I had some good matches before this tournament and was really hoping to play in New York for the first time.
“I had a lot of fun the whole entire tournament. Getting to the singles final was really great. Julia was playing really well, especially in the first set, when she had answers to a lot of my balls. In the second set I was in every game, every point, but unfortunately it didn't go my way. It was a great match and I had so much fun playing it.”
Cal senior Zsofi Susanyi – ranked 16th – vied for the consolation singles crown but lost to Florida's Josie Kuhlman, 4-6, 7-5, 6-2.
“Zsofi, in the main draw, lost to the player (Elbaba) who won the tournament,” Augustus noted. “But Zsofi rallied well in the consolation bracket to make the final today. It was a good match, but for a couple of case of bad luck in that match, it could've gone in the other direction. Zsofi was playing really well and striking the ball really well. I'm really proud of her effort here. Sometimes matches can go a point or two either way, and that decides things.”
TEMPE, Ariz. – Karla Popovic hoped to become the second straight Cal freshman to win the singles title at the ASU Thunderbird Invitational. But she fell to Fresno State's third-seeded and 53rd-ranked Sophie Watts, 6-2, 6-2, in Sunday's championship at the Whiteman Tennis Center.
Last year, Denise Starr beat teammate Maegan Manasse to capture the singles crown in Tempe.
“For us to come back with some hardware from both events is great,” Augustus said from New York. “We're going to use this to continue to progress as a team, as the spring will be here in no time. I'm really proud of all the Bears today.”
USTA/ITA National Women's Indoor Intercollegiate Championships
Nov. 9, 2014, in Flushing Meadows, N.Y.
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center
Singles Main Draw
Final
[6] No. 5 Julia Elbaba (Virginia) def. [5] No. 43 Maegan Manasse (Cal) – 6-2, 7-5
Consolation Singles
Final
[2] Josie Kuhlman (Florida) def. No. 16 Zsofi Susanyi (Cal) – 4-6, 7-5, 6-2
Consolation Doubles
Final
[1] No. 11 Maegan Manasse/Denise Starr (Cal) def. [2] Emina Bektas/Alexandria Najarian (Michigan) – 7-6(5), 7-6(3)
ASU Thunderbird Invitational
Nov. 9, 2014, in Tempe, Ariz.
Whiteman Tennis Center
Singles Main Draw
[3] No. 53 Sophie Watts (Fresno State) def. Karla Popovic (Cal) – 6-2, 6-2
Singles Maroon Draw Second-Round Consolation
Ebony Panoho (ASU) def. Stephane Lin (Cal) – 7-5, 6-3
Other Singles Matches
Kristen Dodge (Michigan) def. Lyann Hoang (Cal) – 7-6, 6-3, 6-4
Round-Robin Doubles
Desirae Krawcyzk/Stephanie Vlad (ASU) def. Stephane Lin/Lyann Hoang (Cal) – 8-0
