Tori Smyth and Allison Kuse Win Doubles Championship at Bucknell Invitational

Kuse also wins Flight 2 singles title as Wildcats complete terrific opening weekend

Villanova wrapped up a very strong opening weekend at the Bucknell Invitational.

Sept. 23, 2012

LEWISBURG, Pa.--An outstanding opening weekend for Villanova wrapped up on Sunday afternoon with freshmen Allison Kuse (Marietta, Ga.) and Tori Smyth (Stamford, Conn.) providing the highlights for the Wildcats on the final day of the Bucknell Invitational at the Varsity Courts. The pair of first-year Villanova players teamed up to win the doubles championship in the tournament, while Kuse also captured the second flight singles title. Smyth advanced to the championship match of the top singles draw and pushed an upperclassman from the host Bison to a tiebreaker before falling by a narrow margin.

In the championship doubles match Smyth and Kuse cruised to an 8-3 victory over Steph Pino and Jen Bush from Bucknell to claim the title. To emerge as the champions in the tournament Smyth and Kuse won four straight doubles matches during the weekend and did so in mostly dominant fashion. They lost more than three service games in only one of their four victories.

Smyth faced Bison junior Elena Vidrascu in the singles championship match and took the first set by a 6-1 count before Vidrascu rallied to win both the second set (6-4) and the tiebreaker (10-8). Leading up to the final Smyth had not only swept her first three matches in straight sets but had dropped a total of only three service games in those three matches.

In the Flight 2 singles championship Kuse scored a tiebreaking win over Renee Deane of Mount St. Mary's. She started and finished strong to earn the win, taking the first set 6-0 and the tiebreaker 10-1 on either end of a 6-4 loss to Deane in the second set. Both ends of the Flight 2 bracket went to the Wildcats, as freshman Hayley Sanzone (Redding, Conn.) won the back draw of the flight with a 6-1, 6-3 victory over Ellie Fraser from Bucknell. The win for Sanzone came one day after she was part of the Villanova doubles pair that won the Flight B doubles title.

Two other players were in action for the Wildcats on Sunday, as sophomores Sydney West (Washington, D.C.) and Aurora McQuade (Great Falls, Va.) competed in the back draw finals in the Flight 1 and Flight 3 singles draws, respectively. West was defeated by Alex Petrini of Colgate (6-3, 6-4) and McQuade fell to Caitlin Flinn of Bloomsburg (6-2, 6-1).

Next weekend Villanova returns to action with the Saint Joseph's Invitational, which will be held from Friday through Sunday at the Maguire and Finnesey courts.

COMPLETE VILLANOVA RESULTS

Singles - Flight 1
Championship - Elena Vidrascu (Bucknell) defeated Tori Smyth (Villanova) 1-6, 6-4, 10-8
Back Draw Round 3 - Alex Petrini (Colgate) defeated Sydney West (Villanova) 6-3, 6-4

Singles - Flight 2
Championship - Allison Kuse (Villanova) defeated Renee Deane (Mount St. Mary's) 6-0, 4-6, 10-1
Back Draw Round 3 - Hayley Sanzone (Villanova) defeated Ellie Fraser (Bucknell) 6-1, 6-3

Singles - Flight 3
Back Draw Round 3 - Caitlin Flinn (Bloomsburg) defeated Aurora McQuade (Villanova) 6-2, 6-1

Doubles - Flight A
Championship - Tori Smyth/Allison Kuse (Villanova) defeated Steph Pino/Jen Bush (Bucknell), 8-3

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