Women’s tennis ends season with victories

Jana Knoppe won the championship match in her singles tournament. Photo: Steve Woltmann

The women’s tennis team brought its fall season to a close Sunday in winning fashion after competing at the ITA Second Chance Regional at the Boylan Tennis Center.

The Flames claimed first place in the doubles B flight and in two singles brackets.

Over the course of the three-day tournament, seniors Jana Knoppe and Kathryn Sharples, sophomore Ann-Sophie Hahn and freshman Veronica Lacerda competed in the tournament.

Knoppe and Sharples combined in doubles, coming away with a definitive 8-5 win against Northern Illinois in the first round. They went on to defeat Wisconsin to advance to the championship match, where they fell, 8-7.

In the B flight, Hahn and Lacerda started off with wins after beating Chicago State, 8-1, and Milwaukee, 8-4.  In the championship match of their bracket, they claimed an 8-7 victory against Marquette.

Sharples collected a first-round win against Illinois State in three sets, 4-6, 6-3, 6-4.  She fell in her next match, 7-6, 6-1, but captured a third-place finish over Milwaukee.

Knoppe took control of the B bracket, grabbing two victories to move on to the title match. She won the championship match against Milwaukee, 6-0, 6-0.

UIC continued to show strong performances, as Hahn held down the C flight after coming away with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Chicago State and ousted Northern Illinois.

Lacerda took two straight-set victories against Green Bay and Northern Illinois. She lost the championship match, 6-1, 6-1.

With the end of their fall slate, the Flames will prepare for the 2014 dual season, which kicks off Jan. 25.