Seton Hall University
West Point Invitational
Fajnorova, Kangwa Lead Hall at West Point
9/28/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
WEST POINT, N.Y. - Seton Hall freshmen Anna Fajnorova (Bratislava, Slovakia) and Thandy Kangwa (Fort Myers, Fla.) each advanced into the final-eight of the B flight singles main draw at the West Point Invitational; highlighting a weekend in which the Pirates earned three main draw quarterfinal appearances over three days at the United States Military Academy.
Fajnorova played her way into the semifinal round by rattling off three consecutive victories in her first collegiate matches as an individual before coming up short against eventual flight champion Jane Stewart of Cornell. Seeded eighth, the newcomer opened with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Claudia Hellmamn of Saint Peter's before holding off a challenge from Fairleigh Dickinson's Gisela Castany in a marathon three-set affair (3-6, 6-2, 13-11) to advance to the quarters.
Matched up with Jackie Fitz-Randolph, Fajnorova (Connecticut) made quick work of the top seed in a 6-1, 6-3 win that placed her among the final four.
Seeded seventh at the bottom half of the bracket and seemingly on a collision course with her fellow rookie was Kangwa followed up one quarterfinal appearance at the Quinnipiac Invitational with another, besting Akron's Carlie Knezevich and Nan Porter for the hosts Army along the way.
The two also combined to deliver a pair of victories on the doubles court for The Hall, scoring victories over Lehigh's Grace Lin and Cassidy Cruz as well as the mixed tandem of Nathalie Habegger (NJIT) and Rafaella Sampaio (Binghamton) in A flight consolation play.
In the fourth singles bracket, both Katie Kim (Honolulu, Hawaii) and Isabell Klingert (Oberbalbach, Germany) were a part of the final 16 following consecutive wins in the first two rounds. Kim dropped just seven total games across victories over Amanda Helminsky (NJIT) and Tori Oates (Sacred Heart) while Klingert moved past the Highlanders' Alba Rosas in straight-sets before outlasting Destiny Grunin of Fordham in three (6-2, 4-6, 15-13).
Kim and Klingert also accounted for SHU's third quarterfinal appearance of the weekend, doubling up their opponents by a combined score of 12-to-6, in B Doubles wins against tandems representing Binghamton and Marist.
Sophomore Luize Strike (Riga, Latvia) continued her impressive start to the fall by recording a pair of wins in A flight singles play to move into the quarterfinals as well. After closing her trip to Quinnipiac with three consecutive triumphs, Strike also prevailed over seventh-seeded Christina Auyeung of Lehigh (6-1, 6-2) and needed just three games over the minimum yet again to get past Caroline Lozo (Marist) in the round of 16. Her run was stopped only by eventual champion Srna Stosljevic from Connecticut.
Strike also played alongside senior Hannah Liljekvist (Djursholm, Sweden) on the doubles court and the two standouts were able to secure a spot in the round of 16 with a 6-3 result against Katie DiRienzo and Lindsey Post of Sacred Heart.
Making her first appearance of the fall in her own right, Liljekvist, an All-BIG EAST selection in the last two seasons, also recorded a head-to-head win over Marist's Karly Pang in straight sets in A flight competition.
Classmate Julia Keenan (Greenland, N.H.) similarly advanced in 3rd singles competition with an opening round win over the Black Knights' Haley O'Connor while sophomore Marisa Quevedo (Tyler, Texas) scored a consolation win against Stephanie Falcon (St. Peter's) in the same flight.
The Pirates will be off from competition next weekend before heading to Annapolis, Md. on Friday, October 9 to begin a three-day stint at the Navy Blue & Gold Invitational.
