FREDERICKSBURG, Va. – Junior Ariel Danziger and freshman Caitlyn Sorelle went a perfect 4-0 to capture the Blue 2 doubles championship as the Ursinus College women's tennis team served up the 2016-17 season at the ITA Southeast Regional Championships over the weekend.
Danziger and Sorelle were the headliners of a solid Bears contingent at University of Mary Washington. The newly formed tandem began its march to the trophy with an 8-4 victory over Virginia Wesleyan's Courtney Gulihur and Katie Staman. Their toughest match came in the quarterfinals, when Danziger and Sorelle outlasted Randolph's Aubrey Hawn and Jenna Sweet in a 9-7 decision.
Sunday brought the semifinals, and another pair of impressive efforts. Danziger and Sorelle knocked off Grove City's Janine Jones and Linnea Peters, 8-5, to advance to the championship match, where they handled Centennial Conference counterparts Mary Hubert and Kiran Pant of Washington College, 8-3.
Senior Christine Palazzolo had the best showing of the Bears' individual entrants, reaching the semifinals of the Blue 5 singles draw. Palazzolo pulled out a 3-6, 6-4, 10-3 victory over Southern Virginia's Micah Roberts in the first round, then took care of Lynchburg's Emily Simpson by a 6-3, 6-0 score in the quarterfinals.
Senior Robin Alsher was the only other Bear to win a singles match, topping Shenandoah's Shannon Hickman 7-5, 6-2.
Sorelle and junior Aileen Bevard competed in the championship singles draw, while Bevard teamed with junior Ashley Nguyen in championship doubles.
Ursinus plays its lone match of the fall on Tuesday, October 4, at Eastern. Match time is slated for 3:00 p.m.