Knop Sisters Post 2-1 Marks At Air Force Invitational
AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. -- Both seniors Tabatha and Tiffany Knop went 2-1 to lead the Bears at the Air Force Invitational over the weekend.
In the number-one singles bracket, senior Tabatha Knop dropped her opening match to Sophia Bergner from Denver, 6-1, 6-1. She bounced back to defeat Sabine Fuchs from Oregon, 7-6 (3), 7-3 and Aniko Kiss from Idaho State, 6-3, 7-5.
Senior Tiffany Knop in the two-singles lost a heartbreaker in a tiebreaker in the third set in the first round 6-2, 1-6, 7-6 (7) to Tori Arneson from Colorado State. Knop then defeated Christin Thompson, 7-6 (5), 6-1 from Denver and Alexandra Kovacs from Wyoming in a walkover.
Senior Luiza Xavier also dropped her first round match in the number-four singles, falling 6-0, 6-3 to Melissa Holzinger from Colorado State. She also lost to Wyoming's Rebecca Berger (6-2, 7-5) and Shannon Young of Air Force (6-3, 6-1) in the back draw.
In the number-five singles, freshmen Sydney Bell lost her opening round match to eventual champion Sasa Nemcova from Wyoming (6-3, 6-2) and fell in both back draw matches, losing 6-3, 7-6 (2) to Veronika Wojakowska from Colorado State and 6-4, 7-6 (4) to Air Force's Christine Molina.
Playing in the number-seven singles bracket, Jenny Whateley lost 2-6, 6-1, 6-3 to Michaela Oldani from New Mexico and then fell 7-5, 7-5 to Mahdi Besovic from Oregon and Erlyn Rudico from Air Force 1-6, 7-5, 1-0 (8).
The Knop sisters received a bye in the first round of number one singles before falling to Hartford's Hideko Tachibana and Samantha Rosekrans 8-4 in the second round. In the backdraw, the pair lost an 8-4 decision to Hannah Dake and Allie Chermel from Air Force, then won a walkover against Wyoming's Nemcova and Kim Van Ginkel.
In the number-three doubles Whateley and Bell defeated Oldani and Kristin Eggleson from New Mexico, 9-8 (2). In the quarterfinals, the duo lost 8-6 to Rudico and Molina from the Academy. In the next round, the pair dropped an 8-5 decision to another Falcons duo in Erin Conley and Shannon Young and lost 9-8 (6) from Katrina Eromin and Sarah Cassman.
Xavier and Hannah LeForest were also in the third doubles draw. They lost in the first round 8-3 to Wojakowska and Lauren Mulhem from Colorado State before falling 8-5 to Carmen Peters and Maria Occhipinti from Idaho State.
