Sept. 27, 2003

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - On the second day of the Maryland Invitational, the weather could not have been nicer in College Park. With a light breeze and partly cloudy skies, the University of Maryland women's tennis team continued their strong play in doubles and singles matches.

The Terps started the day off with doubles action. Senior Emily Marker (Ann Arbor, Mi) and freshman Marianne Baker (Glenelg. Md.) are set to play for the Flight A doubles title on Sunday. The duo got things going when they defeated Cornell's Kokubo and Edinson, 8-3. They followed up their first doubles win of the year with an 8-4 win over the Spiders' Wolfgram and Grasu. Marker and Baker will take on the tandem of Zerkalova and Colarusso at 9 a.m.

Also playing in the flight A doubles is the Terp team of Chloe Chavardes (St. Noblabreteche) and Brooke Rogers (Reisterstown, Md.). The duo was defeated by Zerkalova and Colarusso, 8-5. Chavardes and Rogers will win the backdraw due to the withdrawal of American's doubles team Kollarova and Georgieva.

Andreea Fusea (Bucharest, Romania) and freshman Masha Senic (Glenmont, N.Y.) edged Cornell's Tu and Wang, 9-8 (7). Fusea and Senic were then dropped by Richmond's Klein and Carter, 8-6. Fusea and Senic will play Sunday at 9 a.m. against Lipton and Serino of Syracuse.

In singles matches, Marker and sophomore Jennifer Dent (Safety Harbor, Mi) highlighted the Flight A bracket with their semifinal match-up. Dent was broken early in the first set and Marker never looked back. Marker took the match, 6-2, 6-0, and will face Richmond's Beatrice Grasu in the finals, Sunday, at 12 p.m.

If Fusea and Marianne Baker (Glenelg, Md.) won their respective semifinal matches, they would meet in the Flight B championship match on Sunday. Fusea was looking to repeat the success she had at the 2002 Maryland Invitational in which she took the Flight C singles title. Sasha Zerkalova of American stood in Fusea's way this year. Zerkalova, a hard hitting lefty, downed Fusea, 6-3, 6-2. Baker was all ease in her straight set victory over Syracuse's Katie Bramante, 6-1, 6-1. The freshman will face off against American's Zerkalova, Sunday at 12 p.m. for the Flight B title.

After having her opponent at match point in the second set, Chavardes, dug deep and finished off West Virginia's Courtney Howell, 7-5, 7-6 (4), in a tie breaker. Chavardes will face Cornell's Melissa Tu, Sunday, at 10:45 in the backdraw.

In flight C it was all freshman Masha Senic for the Terrapins. Senic hit her way into the finals with her 6-2, 6-3 win over Richmond's Katie Karhohs. She will match up against Richmond's Robin Carter, Sunday at 10:30 a.m for the title. Brooke Rogers fought hard against the Big Red's Kara Moloy, but in the end she was tripped up by Moloy, 6-2, 6-4.

The 2003 Maryland Invitational concludes tomorrow, Sunday, September 28, at the Tennis Center at College Park.

Complete Results from Day 2 of Maryland Invitational
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