Oct. 11, 2008

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - UAB sophomore Evelien Strijker is through to the semifinals of the A Singles flight at this weekend's UNF Fall Invitational, hosted by North Florida.

Strijker won two matches Saturday, including a victory over the tournament's No. 3 seed. She is the final Blazer remaining in the main draw and will play Sunday morning in the semifinals.

"I'm really proud of the way Evelien is playing in this tournament," UAB head coach Krissy Hall said. "She's off to a great start, and hopefully she can carry the momentum from her wins today into her matches tomorrow."

Strijker started the day with a convincing 6-3, 6-2 victory over third-seeded Alyona Tsutskova of Florida International. She then backed up that win with a 6-1, 6-3 quarterfinal victory over North Florida's Aline Berkenbrock.

"Evelien is playing very smart tennis, and everything is really coming together for her," Hall said. "She has put herself in a great position and given herself a great shot to win her bracket."

For the second consecutive day, rain slowed down play in Jacksonville. The Blazers only managed to play two other singles matches on Saturday.

UAB's Ceylan Engin advanced in the C Singles consolation bracket with a three-set win over Tatiana Varela of South Carolina State. Engin won the first set in a tiebreaker and then dropped the second before pulling out a 10-8 victory in a match tiebreaker for the third set. Engin is scheduled to play again Sunday.

In the Blazers' other singles match of the day, Jenny Cape was eliminated from the B Singles draw with a 6-2, 6-2 loss to Aniko Kiss of South Carolina State.

Giorgia Romeo was scheduled to play Saturday in the A Singles consolation bracket, but the rain kept her off the court. She is now slated to play again on Sunday.

The Blazers also had two consolation doubles matches scheduled for Saturday, but the rain has forced the cancellation of all consolation doubles brackets.

The invitational will conclude Sunday. Tournament draw sheets for each bracket are available on the UNF Fall Invitational homepage at the North Florida athletics website, www.unfospreys.com.

Saturday's Singles Results

Evelien Strijker (A Singles)
Rd. 2 -- Defeated Alyona Tsutskova (Florida International); 6-3, 6-2
QF - Defeated Aline Berkenbrock (North Florida); 6-1, 6-3

Jenny Cape (B Singles)
Rd. 2 - Lost to Aniko Kiss (South Carolina State); 6-2, 6-2

Ceylan Engin (C Singles Consolation)
Defeated Tatiana Varela (South Carolina State); 7-6 (6), 2-6, 10-8