Raschke and Pavia Advance to Doubles Final of ITA Regional; Pavia to Compete in Singles Semifinal

(FREDERICKSBURG, Va.) – For the second straight season, two Carnegie Mellon University women's tennis players are on the path to a championship at the ITA Southeast Regional Women's Tennis Championship hosted by the University of Mary Washington. Junior Bryn Raschke (Del Mar, Calif./Torrey Pines) and freshman Vanessa Pavia (Thornwood, N.Y./Academy of our Lady of Good Counsel) will play for the doubles championship Monday afternoon while Pavia will play in the semifinals in singles competition.

The tandem started the regional with 8-1 and 8-3 victories before downing Shelby Harris and Lindsay Raulston of the University of Mary Washington 8-2 in the semifinals.

After going three sets in her first round singles match to advance, Pavia won her next three matches in straight sets to advance to the semifinals.  In her quarterfinal match, the freshman ran into sophomore teammate Brooke Tsu (Hillsborough, Calif./Burlingame) and won 6-4, 6-1.  Tsu advanced to the quarterfinals after defeating the fourth seeded Elaina Balk of Johns Hopkins University, 6-3, 7-5 in the round of 16.

Two other Tartans advanced to the round of 16 before bowing out.  Junior Angela Pratt (Saratoga, Calif./St. Francis) defeated Christine Evangelish from Elizabethtown, 6-0, 6-0 and Kelsey Vella of Washington and Lee University 6-2, 6-2, before losing to Sydney Lehman of Johns Hopkins 6-2, 6-1.  Freshman Nicholle Torres (Hillsborough, Calif./Burlingame) defeated Caitlin Rummelsburg of Frankilin & Marshall University 6-0, 6-0 in the opening round and then downed Milkey Barthelmass of Johns Hopkins 6-1, 6-1.  Torres then lost to Sonja Meighan of Washington and Lee 6-1, 6-1.

Pavia and Raschke will face the top seeded doubles tandem of Meighan and Patricia Kirkland of Washington and Lee at 3:00 p.m. Monday. Pavia will hit the court at 9:00 a.m. against Meighan in singles play.