Agatha Palider won the women’s individual tennis title at the Hampton Roads Open this past weekend. It was the sophomore’s second career draw title, as she won the UNC Wilmington Invitational last season. Palider defeated teammate Courtney Cox in the final, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6. The women’s tennis team will compete at the Queen City Invitational in Cincinnati, Oh., this weekend.
Meanwhile, the men’s team had similar success at the same event. Justin Suesserman and Lawrence Washington won the doubles final 8-6 over teammates Ryan Bouttell and Dylan Higgins. Washington went on to make the singles final, but lost the match to Richmond’s A.J. Nelson. The Owls will travel a few miles south on I-75 for the Georgia Tech Invitational this weekend.
The Stetson Mad Hatters defeated the soccer team on Sunday by a score of 3-2. The home-standing Hatters (2-5-2) improved their Atlantic Sun record to 1-1, while the Owls (5-3-3) dropped to 1-1 in conference play. Rachael Baer scored twice for KSU in the loss. Goalkeeper Staci Pugh had five saves for the Owls, who will host Jacksonville on Friday.
ON THE GREEN
The men’s golf team had a tough final day at the Mason Rudolph Championship this past weekend. The team came into Sunday’s final round in seventh place, but finished the tournament in 12th. The Owls posted a 20-over par for a team score of 872. South Carolina won the overall team title, finishing with a score of 839. Kentucky featured the individual champion Ben Fuqua, who shot a 198 total. KSU’s Michael Tulacz led the way for the team, finishing tied for fifth overall with an overall score of 209. Matthew Nagy finished tied for 23rd with a score of 217, J.P. Putnam finished 53rd with a 222 total, Jeff Karlsson came in at 62nd with a 224, and Parker Houston ended up tied for 82nd while shooting a 232 for the Owls.
The women’s golf team also came in at 12th at its weekend tournament. The Owls shot a 983 total at the Badger Invitational in Madison, Wisconsin. Jordan Lazenby led the Owls with a 233 (17-over par), finishing 26th. Ashley Aguilera finished 53rd with a 241, Laura Lindsey scored a 252 to come in 64th, Malin Becker shot a 259 to finish 69th, and Lindsay Hagerman came in 70th with a score of 260. The team travels to Bradenton, Fla., on Monday to tee off at the Waterlefe Invitational.
VOLLEYBALL FALLS
The volleyball team (2-12, 1-5) lost at home against conference-rival Campbell on Saturday, losing three of four sets. Sophomore Sabrita Gulley set a school-record in kills, becoming the first player in KSU history to reach 20 kills in a game. Junior Ginny Frederick recorded a double-double with 34 assists and 10 digs while Eman Burns had a match-high 16 digs. The team returns to action against East Tennessee State this Friday in Johnson City, Tenn.
Black can be reached at sblack@scoreatl.com.