Women's Tennis 10.16.11

Veselinovic Wins Small College Singles Super Bowl Championship

MOBILE, Ala. ---- After rallying to win the 2011 USTA/ITA Small College Championship on Saturday, senior Ana Veselinovic became the second Auburn University at Montgomery women's tennis player to capture the singles Super Bowl Championship, when she defeated Tyler Junior College's Kerrie Cartwright, 6-3, 6-0, in the finals on Sunday at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center.

Veselinovic joins former Warhawks' All-American Delia Sescioreanu, who won the individual honor in 2008. The Super Bowl is formed by the singles and doubles winners from the four different levels of play in the Small College Championships, NAIA, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and National Junior College.

After the first few games were over, it appeared to be an even contest between Veselinovic and Cartwright. The first break of serve was earned by Cartwright, giving her a 3-2 lead, but Veselinovic broke back immediately in the next game. On Cartwright's next service game, Veselinovic stepped into a second serve return on break point, drilling it down the line to surge ahead 5-3. She held easily in the next game to take the first set. As the match wore on, the heavy groundstrokes of Veselinovic became too much to handle for Cartwright. Veselinovic broke to open the second set and ran away with the straight-set victory.

In the opening match of the Super Bowl, both Veselinovic and Cartwright won via walkover, with Veselinovic earning a win over Middlebury's Lok Sze Leung and Cartwright over BYU-Hawaii's Annie Hwang.

To qualify for the Super Bowl, Veselinovic earned three singles victories against NAIA opponents. The Herceg-Novi, Montenegro, native, rolled into the finals, taking the opener, 6-0, 6-0, against Taylor University's Germania Bedon, and her second match, 6-0, 6-2, against Lindsey Wilson's Trina Slapeka. In the finals, Veselinovic dropped the first set to Hermon Brhane from Oklahoma Christian, 7-5, but rallied to take the final two sets, 6-1, 6-3, to win the singles championship.

In doubles play of the Small College Championship, Veselinovic teamed with sophomore Jade Curtis to finish third in the eight-team field. The duo cruised in the opening round, 6-2, 6-3, over Evangel's Maria Jose Martinez and Amy Grossklag, before falling to Brhane and Lucie Sipkova, 6-1, 5-7, 10-6. However, in the third-place contest, the tandem defeated Embry-Riddle's Yi Ching Chen and Josefine Strom, 6-2, 6-2.

The Super Bowl champions will now move on to the 2011 USTA/ITA National Indoor Intercollegiate Championships, which will take place November 3-6 at the USTA-Billie Jean King National Tennis Center.

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