April 26, 2003
Haverford, PA -
Johns Hopkins sophomore Vandna Jerath (Augusta, GA/Augusta Prep) won two matches to advance to the women's singles quarterfinals as the Blue Jay men's and women's tennis teams competed in the first day of the Centennial Conference Individual Championships.
Jerath, the No. 3 seed, opened play with a 6-3, 6-1 victory over Shanna Pusey of McDaniel, and later defeated Mackenzie Parke of Muhlenberg 6-3, 6-4. She faces No. 5 seed Shoko Nakamura of Washington College Saturday in the quarterfinals. Sophomore Michelle Liang (Rochester, NY/Brighton) defeated Emily Ruben of Dickinson 7-5, 3-6, 6-1 in the first round but fell to No. 5 seed Kristina Pao of Swarthmore 6-3, 6-1 in the round of 16. Junior Cara Loeys (Oxshott Surrey, England/American Community School) shut out Ioana Butoi of Bryn Mawr 6-0, 6-0 in the round of 32 but later lost to No. 2 seed Gena Ross of Muhlenberg 6-0, 6-1.
Sophomore
Justin Belisario (Los Angeles, CA/Loyola) defeated Franklin & Marshall's Alex Chester 6-4, 7-6 (0) in the first round of the men's singles tournament, while junior
Grant Roch (Cedarburg, WI/Cedarburg) posted a 6-1, 6-0 win over Jeremy Landis. Belisario will face No. 5 seed Hans Hardisty of Gettysburg Saturday in the round of 16, while Roch will take on No. 2 seed Louis Blanchette of Washington College. Senior
Kevin Alford (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon Township), the No. 3 seed in the draw, received a bye Friday and will face Haverford's Randolph Moon Saturday in the round of 16.
In men's doubles action, No. 2 seed Alford and Belisario received a bye in the first round before defeating Andrew Mayer and Bryan Pilkington of Franklin & Marshall 8-2 to advance to the quarterfinals. They will take on Muhlenberg's Jeff Kraft and Cameron Parke Saturday. Roch and freshman Michael Kelly-Sell (Ann Arbor, MI/Ann Arbor Pioneer) edged Gettysburg's Geoff Gamble and Hardisty 9-8 in the first round, but fell to Asfand Farouk and Alvaro Prado of Washington College 8-3 in the round of 16.
The women's doubles tournament gets underway Saturday, as junior Liz Crowe (Wilmington, DE/Alexis I. duPont) and freshman Amanda Leese (Amherst, NH/Bishop Guertin) will take on Kaity Butler and Courtney Root of Ursinus in the first round. Liang and Loeys, the No. 5 seed in the draw, will face Rebecca Gotwals and Lauren Thomas of Ursinus in the round of 16.
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