Seton Hall University
Army
Kim Wins Spring Dual Debut; Hall Falls at Army
2/1/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Freshman Katie Kim (Honolulu, Hawaii) recorded a victory in her spring dual match debut and the Seton Hall women's tennis team forced three of six singles matches to a decisive frame on the road against perennial Patriot League power Army on Saturday but the Pirates ultimately came up short in a 6-1 defeat.
Kim was one of three freshmen in the six-person singles lineup for head coach Greg Wyzykowski - all of whom played their way into a third set - and she came out on top against Elle Taylor at #4, rallying from an early one-set deficit to record the Pirates' lone point.
Taylor took the first set in just one game over the minimum but Kim rebounded to claim the second in a tiebreak, 7-6 (4). The third and final set was a back-and-forth affair as well but the Honolulu native completed the comeback with a 10-8 victory in the frame.
The Hall was particularly strong at the fourth position during their successful spring campaign a year ago, recording 13 wins at #4, more than any other spot in the lineup.
Newcomer Luize Liva Strike (Riga, Latvia) was slotted into the #2 matchup after opening 2015 with a singles title at the NJIT Invitational and joined Kim in bouncing back from a first set loss to push the match to a third. Army's Eva Sung earned an early advantage by taking the opening frame, 6-3, but Strike responded by prevailing 7-5 in the second. With the point on the line, Sung edged Strike by a slim 10-8 margin in the third.
At #3, freshman Marisa Quevedo (Tyler, Texas) took command early by blanking the Black Knights' Hannah Dahlem in the first set but could not close out the victory in the two tightly contested frames that followed; dropping a 6-0, 5-7, 7-10 decision.
Playing at the top spot where she was victorious in her lone appearance last season, junior Hannah Liljekvist (Djursholm, Sweden) fell in straight sets to Carolyn Pitman (4-6, 2-6) while classmate Julia Keenan (Greenland, N.H.) and senior Madison Shoemaker (Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia) were unsuccessful in their bids to score from the fifth and sixth positions respectively.
Army opened the day by taking a 1-0 lead following the conclusion of doubles action, sweeping all three matches from a new-look Seton Hall contingent.
Due to inclement weather in the forecast, the match between Seton Hall and Binghamton that was scheduled to take place on Sunday afternoon at West Point has been postponed and rescheduled for Saturday, February 28 with a site and start-time yet to be determined.
The Hall returns to action on Sunday, February 8 when they host BIG EAST rival Georgetown in the home opener. Start-time is slated for 5:00 p.m. from Centercourt Performance Tennis Center in Morristown, N.J.
Seton Hall 1, Army 6
Doubles
1. Pitman/Sung (Army) def. Keenan/Liljekvist (Seton Hall), 6-1
2. Parker/Taylor (Army) def. Kim/Shoemaker (Seton Hall), 6-3
3. Mok/Porter (Army) def. Quevedo/Strike (Seton Hall), 6-4
Singles
1. Carolyn Pitman (Army) def. Hannah Liljekvist (Seton Hall), 6-4, 6-2
2. Eva Sung (Army) def. Luize Liva Strike (Seton Hall), 6-3, 5-7, 10-8
3. Hannah Dahlem (Army) def. Marisa Quevedo (Seton Hall), 0-6, 7-5, 10-7
4. Katie Kim (Seton Hall) def. Elle Taylor (Army), 1-6, 7-6 (4), 10-8
5. Nan Porter (Army) def. Julia Keenan (Seton Hall), 6-3, 6-2
6. Allyson Hayley (Army) def. Madison Shoemaker (Seton Hall), 6-2, 6-2
