October 4, 2009

Cran highlights Tech's play at Hokie Invitational

Freshman Victoria Cran reached the flight D singles championship final before falling Sunday to highlight play for the four Golden Eagle women playing in Virginia Tech's Hokie Invitational.

BLACKSBURG, Va. – Tennessee Tech’s Victoria Cran, a freshman from Yorkshire, England, won three of her four matches over the weekend at the Virginia Tech Hokie Invitational, reaching the finals in the Flight D bracket, to highligh play for coach Kenny Doyle’s squad.

Cran won her first three matches to advance to the finals before falling to Thaddea Lock of Marshall in the flight’s championship match, 7-5, 6-1.

It was the top performance of the weekend for the four Tech players who participated.

Cran opened play with a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Sally Wilkey of Elon, then battled back to pull out a 1-6, 6-1, 6-2 win over Appalachian State’s Gisela Fernandez. She defeated Virginia Tech’s Emily Lauten Saturday afternoon, 7-6 (6), 6-4.

In a Flight B singles consolation match, Laura Porras lost 6-3, 6-2 to Andra Voinea from East Tennessee. Porras had dropped a 6-2, 7-5 match to Stephani Synn from Davidson Friday afternoon in consolation play, following a 6-1, 6-2 loss in the opening round to ETSU’s Kelly Holtzhausen.

Laura Janke of Appalachian State defeated Katie Barnhill, 7-5, 6-2, in a Flight C singles consolation event. Barnhill lost to Dominika Zaprazna of Marshall, 6-1, 6-2, in Friday’s opening round, then suffered a 6-2, 7-6 (2) loss to Olivia Stannard of Appalachian State in the consolation.

In Flight D singles, Diana Woodcock dropped a 6-2, 6-4 match to Gisela Fernandez of Appalachian State in the consolation final Sunday. After receiving a first-round bye, Woodcock fell to Olivia Stannard of Appalachian State, 6-2, 6-1, in the winner’s bracket Friday. On Saturday, Woodcock downed Blakeley Bean of Appalachian State, 6-3, 6-2, to advance to the consolation finals.

Porras and Woodcock paired up to play in Flight A doubles, dropping an 8-1 match to Anna Millan and Elisa Simonette of Elon on Friday. The two were scheduled to face Virginia Berry and Stephani Synn from Davidson College Sunday in a Flight A doubles consolation contest, but it was not held.

In Flight B doubles, Barnhill and Cran fell in a consolation match Sunday to Laura Graybill and Jessica Margolis from Elon, 8-5. That Tech twosome fell to Emily Lauten and Christin Newman of Virginia Tech, 8-1 on Friday.