Clemson Women’s Tennis Claims Two Singles Titles at Furman Fall Classic

Sept. 29, 2002

GREENVILLE, SC – The Clemson women’s tennis team opened their fall season at the Furman Fall Classic on Friday, Saturday and Sunday in Greenville, SC. Tiger freshman Julie Coin won the flight one singles championship, while junior Ashlea Bowen claimed first place at flight six.

At flight one singles, Coin defeated Vanderbilt’s Aleke Tsoubanos in three sets 2-6, 6-3, 6-1. Coin advanced to the championship match on an injury default by Middle Tennessee State’s Manon Kruse. In the championship match, Coin defeated Vanderbilt’s Sarah Riske by a score of 6-3, 6-2.

Clemson’s Ioana Paun competed at number two singles, dropping her first round match to Ayako Suzuki of South Carolina by a score of 0-6, 6-4, 6-4. Paun had a bye in her second match and then defeated Wisconsin’s Lara Vojnov, 6-7, 6-2, 6-2 to claim fifth place at flight two.

The Tigers’ Richele LeSaldo dropped her first match at flight three singles to MTSU’s Stacy Varnell by a score of 6-0, 6-1. LeSaldo was victorious over Teresa Gonzaga of Wisconsin, 6-4, 6-2 in her second match. In the match for fifth place, LeSaldo fell to Furman’s Natalie The by a score of 6-4, 6-0.

In flight four singles action, Clemson senior Laurence Jayet defeated MTSU’s Carien Venter, 4-6, 7-6, 6-3 in the first round, before falling to South Carolina’s Magda Wojdylo, 4-6, 6-2, 6-2. Jayet then fell to Chelsea Glynn of Iowa in three sets, 4-6, 7-5, 6-0, to finish fourth overall in the number four singles bracket.

Ana Stiglic also competed for the Tigers at flight four, dropping her first match to Ashley Schellhas of Vanderbilt by a score of 6-1, 6-3. Stiglic was then victorious over Furman’s Marti Morris, 6-4, 6-2 in her second match. Stiglic defeated MTSU’s Venter by a score of 6-2, 4-6, 6-3 in the fifth-place match.

At number five singles, Clemson’s Anna Dolinska was victorious over Jenny Schulte of Iowa, 6-1, 6-3, before falling to the Lady Paladin’s Lauren Welch, 6-4, 6-4. Dolinska defeated Furman’s Krista Thomson by a score of 6-1, 7-5 to claim third place at flight five.

Tiger junior Ashlea Bowen defeated South Carolina’s Audry George by a score of 7-5, 6-3 and then earned her next victory by default to reach Sunday’s championship match. Bowen claimed the flight six championship after leading Iowa’s Jennifer Hodgman 5-0 in the first set when Hodgman retired due to injury.

Also at flight six, Sunnie Harmon of Clemson fell in the first round to Emily Vest of MTSU, 6-4, 6-1 and then dropped her second match to Furman’s Shannon Moore, 6-1, 6-1. Harmon was defeated by the Gamecocks’ George, 6-4, 6-1 in her final match of the tournament.

In flight one doubles play, the Tigers’ number one team of Coin and Jayet dropped their opening match to MTSU’s Kruse and Varnell, 8-5. Coin and Jayet won their next match, defeating Caroline Bentley and Mary Kovarik of Furman by a score of 8-5. Coin and Jayet were victorious over Iowa’s Cassie Haas and Deni Alexandrova, 8-3, to earn fifth place in the flight one doubles bracket.

At flight two doubles, Clemson’s team of LeSaldo and Stiglic were 2-1 in their matches. The duo dropped their first match to Steffi Hoch and Glynn of Iowa, 8-1, before defeating Vojnov and Alise Cogger of Wisconsin, 8-3. LeSaldo and Stiglic were victorious in their fifth-place match over the Lady Paladin’s Mary Neill Hagood and Thomson in a tiebreaker, 9-8 (3).

The Tigers’ duo of Dolinska and Paun also competed in the flight two doubles bracket. Dolinska and Paun fell to South Carolina’s Catherine Brown and Wojdylo, 8-6 and Furman’s Hagood and Thomson, 8-3. In their final match, the pair defeated Wisconsin’s Vojnov and Cogger by a score of 8-5.

Clemson’s Bowen and Harmon were defeated by Wisconsin’s Lexi Goldin and Gonzaga at flight three doubles by a score of 8-5. The team then fell to Furman’s Shannon Moore and Welch, 8-6 in the match for fifth place.

The Tigers will return to action on Oct. 11-13 as they play host to the Clemson Invitational in Clemson, SC.