Wildcats Start Fall Season With Trip to Charleston Invite in W. Tennis

Friday, September 18

Charleston, S.C.

All Day

Davidson College Athletics

College of Charleston Invite

Wildcats Start Fall Season With Trip to Charleston Invite in W. Tennis

9/20/2009 11:43:27 PM | Women's Tennis

Gavin McFarlin - Assistant SID

CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Davidson women's tennis team got their fall season underway by sending four Wildcats to the College of Charleston Invitational this past weekend, Sept. 18-20, to compete in both singles and doubles play.

Friday saw all four Wildcats drop their matches in singles and doubles action, but they came back to finish out strong in the last two days of the invite.

Leading the way was junior Samantha Galainena (Burr Ridge, Ill.) in the A2 Singles bracket. After dropping an opening match 6-1, 6-0 to a player from Air Force and then falling in her first consolation match by the same score, the junior closed out her singles play with a 6-4, 6-1 victory over a player from cross-county rival Charlotte.

Also seeing action in the A2 Singles bracket was Romina Clemente (Canton, Ohio), who played in three singles matches as well, and reached the semifinals on the consolation side. A doubles specialist last year, Clemente fell in her first ever collegiate fall singles event, but regrouped to capture a 3-6, 6-3, 1-0 (8) win in her first consolation match to push her to the semis. There, Clemente took on a player from North Florida and battled hard, before falling 7-5, 6-2.

Both Galainena and Clemente also teamed up in doubles action, competing in three doubles matches in the A2 Doubles bracket. The duo dropped all three of their matches.

In addition to Galainena and Clemente, sophomore Katharine Dicconson (Pacific Grove, Calif.) and freshman Catherine Wood (Greensboro, N.C.) also represented Davidson over the weekend. Both 'Cats took part in the B2 Singles as Wood saw action in her first-ever collegiate singles matches.

The freshman dropped her first match, but came back to score a tie-breaker win in the third set for a 6-4, 0-6, 1-0 victory over a player from Charlotte in her first consolation match. Then after dropping a semifinal match (7-6. 6-3), Wood took out another Charlotte player to close out her weekend by earning a 6-2, 6-2 triumph.

Davidson will next travel to Winston-Salem, N.C. to take part in the Wake Forest Invitational, Sept. 25-27.