Wilkes Women's Tennis Makes History at ITA Regionals
FREDERICKSBURG, VA – The Wilkes University women's tennis team made program history today in both the doubles and singles format of the ITA Regionals. It's the first time in Wilkes women's tennis history that a doubles team advanced to the quarterfinals of the event. Additionally, Erin Volutza (Sinking Spring, PA/Lancaster Catholic) became the first women's tennis player in school history to make an ITA Regional finals match.
The day started at 8:45 a.m. when the Colonels doubles pairing of Jordan Vasarkovy (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) and Dana Saliyev (Jamison, PA/Central Bucks South) took on the #2 seed of the Flight A bracket in a duo from Salisbury. In the single-elimination, 8 game pro-set format, Wilkes fell behind early 0-3. That is when Vasarkovy and Saliyev put the pedal to the metal as they won eight of the next nine games to close out Salisbury and advance to the second round.
Their opponent in the round of 32 was the pairing of White/Cress (Washington College). This was a tightly contested match as neither team was able to gain more than a two-game advantage. Wilkes was able to outlast the duo from Washington College in an 8-6 victory to advance to quarterfinal action of the ITA Regionals in doubles for the first time in Wilkes women's tennis history.
Vasarkovy and Saliyev will try to keep their unprecedented run going when they return to the court at 8 a.m. Sunday morning to face off against a team from Carnegie Mellon.
Once the morning doubles format was completed for the day, the Colonels took to the court to begin the singles tournament.
Vasarkovy was once again competing in the highest bracket of Flight A and squared off against Margo Gerke (John Hopkins) in her first match. In the best of three sets format, Gerke took the first set 6-3. Playing her third match of the afternoon, Vasarkovy rallied in the must win second set to tie things up at 3-3. Unfortunately, Gerke would not allow the Wilkes women's tennis #1 player to get back in it as she rallied off the next three games to take the second set by a score of 6-3, to eliminate Vasarkovy 3-6, 3-6.
Volutza and Saliyev were slotted in the Flight E bracket of the singles tournament. Both Colonels were able to win their first round matches as Volutza defeated Ariana Leggio (Salisbury) 8-4, while Saliyev made quick work of Lauren Edwards (Catholic University of America) 8-2.
In the quarterfinal round, Wilkes was again able to take both matches as Volutza bested Colleen McLaughlin (Catholic University of America) 8-2 and Saliyev dispatched Caroline Edwards (Bridgewater State University) 8-2 to each advance to the semifinals of Flight E. Unfortunately, Saliyev suffered a shoulder injury in her fourth match of the day and decided to withdraw from the singles competition to give herself a chance to compete in doubles quarterfinal action Sunday morning.
The single tournament hopes rested on the shoulders of Volutza as a win in her third singles match of the day would propel her to the finals of Flight E on Sunday evening. It was a closely played match against a player from Virginia Wesleyan with Volutza holding a slim 6-5 lead after trailing 2-1. The senior was able to take the next two sets to close out the match 8-5 and earn Wilkes its first berth into a women's ITA finals.
Volutza will vie to take home the championship tomorrow night when she competes in the championship match at 8 p.m.
