Flushing, N.Y. - In her collegiate debut this weekend, Adelphi University's
Sanne Selmer Gilje became the first student-athlete in Adelphi University women's tennis history to be crowned an ITA Division II East Region Women's Singles Champion.
As the No. 14 seeded player in the draw, Selmer Gilje never lost a set across any of her six matches, culminating with a 6-2, 6-2 straight-set decision over STAC's Amaia Balaguer Brau in Monday's final.
Selmer Gilje, who was named both the NE10 Player and Rookie of the Week, is now eligible to compete at the ITA Cup, which will take place from Oct. 13-16 in Rome, Ga.
"I am excited that I did this well in my first regionals. Having players from both teams supporting me throughout the tournament was one of the best parts and it's something that I'm looking forward to as we continue our conference season," said Selmer Gilje.
"This is a great accomplishment for Sanne. I am so proud of the maturity and high level of tennis she displayed during the whole tournament," Head Coach
Rebecca Fakas stated. "It's not easy coming into a big event like this as a freshman, and for her to pull through a couple of tough matches has been wonderful to see. She has a bright future ahead, and we look forward to watching her continue building on this form throughout the conference season and in the national tournament."
Along the way, Selmer Gilje ran into her own teammate. She played against
Amanda Franstedt in the Round of 32 and won in straight sets, 6-2, 7-5.
Katarina Liedbeck won in her ITA debut. A second-set 7-6 tiebreak favored the freshman in her opening match against Daemen's Yinett Del Leon.
In doubles, the No. 2 seed of
Barbie Quagliardi and
Caterina Federici flirted with an ITA finals appearance.
The Adelphi pair took the first set off SNHU's Alina Kupfer and Verena Weindl in the quarterfinals. But, in the eventual ten-point tiebreak, Quagliardi and Federici found themselves on the short end of a 10-1 defeat.
With the ITA Regional Championships having concluded, the Panthers will host Southern New Hampshire University in a crucial NE10 showdown in Garden City on Saturday (Oct. 1) at noon.
