COLLEGE PARK, Md. — Seniors Marina Chiarelli and Daysi Espinal of the LSU women’s tennis team each captured the singles title from her flight in the final day of the Maryland Invitational.
Chiarelli defeated Washington State’s Amy Toth to win the flight “B” title in three sets. She won the first, 6-4, but then fell behind in the second, 6-3. She regained composure for the final set, winning 6-3 to earn the bracket title.
In flight “D”, Espinal took the victory over Maryland’s Brooke Rogers in two sets, 6-4, 6-2. This is the second straight season Espinal won a tournament title to begin the season. She also won her bracket final in last season’s opening tournament at the UNLV Invitational.
“I’m very proud of the way these girls played this early in the year,” head coach Tony Minnis said. “They came in, played hard and had a successful tournament overall.”
Anastasiya Dubova, set to play in the flight “C” final, withdrew because of injury prior to the match.
Freshman Mykala Hedberg failed to make the flight “A” finals, but she played Sunday in the bracket’s consolation finals, winning it in strange fashion in three sets. She dominated the first set, 6-0, but then fell in the second by the same score. The third sent went back and forth, as Hedberg won in a tiebreaker, 7-6(3).
LSU’s doubles team in the flight “B” finals did not fare as well on the day. Though Chiarelli and Hedberg managed wins in their singles matches, they could not overcome the Maryland duo of Julia Graca and Neda Mihneva in their doubles match, dropping the championship match, 8-6.
The Lady Tigers return to Baton Rouge for a few days, but will travel again for another tournament at Indiana University next weekend.
“We’re playing good tennis right now, and we should be ready to go to Indiana next weeked,” Minnis commented. “We have some little nagging injuries we want to get straight, but we competed well in Maryland and hope to do the same in Indiana.”
MARYLAND INVITATIONAL — Day Three Results
Singles
Flight A
Consolation Finals
Mykala Hedberg (LSU) def. Maryann Baker (UM) 6-0, 0-6, 7-6(3)
Flight B
Finals
Marina Chiarelli (LSU) def. Amy Toth (WSU) 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
Flight C
Finals
Olivia Nix (Yale) def. Anastasiya Dubova (LSU) wd. (inj.)
Flight D
Finals
Daysi Espinal (LSU) def. Brooke Rogers (UM) 6-4, 6-2
Doubles
Flight A
Consolation
Lauren Seaman/Tiffany Tucker (LSU) def. Ekaterina Burduli/Maria Ring (WSU), 8-4
Flight B
Finals
Julia Graca/Neda Mihneva (UM) def. Marina Chiarelli/Mykala Hedberg (LSU) 8-6