GAINESVILLE, Fla. — In a rain-delayed match that took nearly four hours to complete, LSU freshman Bruna Colosio fell to Tulsa’s Anoushka Van Exel Monday afternoon in the first round of the 1999 NCAA Women’s Tennis Individual Championships held at the stadium courts of the Magill Tennis Complex in Gainesville, Fla.
After coming back from one set down, the unseeded Colosio dropped the third set to the No. 9-16-seeded van Exel and lost 6-1, 4-6, 6-1. Van Exel entered the match ranked 12th in the nation by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
“For a freshman who has played only one semester of college tennis, Bruna has had an amazing season,” LSU head coach Tony Minnis said. “She is still learning the college game and she will continue to get better and better. She’s going to have an amazing career at LSU.”
Colosio, ranked 55th by the ITA entering the Championships, finished her freshman season with an impressive 15-7 record including seven wins over ranked opponents, and she was one of only seven freshmen to be selected to the 64-player NCAA individual field.
Of the freshmen in the draw, only three advanced to the second round, Wake Forest’s 41st-ranked Janet Bergman and Stanford’s duo of third-ranked Marissa Irvin and 52nd-ranked Gabriella Lastra.
Down 3-1 in the first set, the match was suspended for more than an hour due to rain. Once play resumed, Colosio dropped the final three games of the first set before storming back to tie the match by winning the second set, 6-4.
In the third set, Colosio was on serve at 2-1, however Van Exel won the final four games of the set to win the match.
Colosio was only the second women in LSU tennis history to be selected to the NCAA Individual Championships as a freshman, joining former Lady Tiger Suzana Rodrigues who did so in 1994 and made it to the quarterfinals.
A native of Cascaval, Brazil, Colosio only competed in the spring season after joining the LSU team in January.
Van Exel will meet Florida’s 22nd-ranked Stephanie Hazlett in the second round of the Championships to be held today at noon EDT.