Middle Tennessee's Kruse Knocks off Fourth Straight Ranked Opponent

Nashville, Tenn. - After two weeks off, Middle Tennessee Lady Raider sophomore Manon Kruse, from Hamm, Germany, didn't miss a beat at the June Stewart Invitational on the campus of Vanderbilt University. Kruse, who is 8-0 in the fall tournaments, knocked off her fourth straight ranked opponent in Penn State's No. 84th ranked Rebecca Ho 6-3, 6-2 Friday morning in flight one. She advances to the semi-finals on Saturday and will play Clemson's Alix Lacelarie at 11:30 a.m. Carien Venter, a sophomore from Pretoria, South Africa, was the other Lady Raider to advance to the semi-finals. Venter defeated Aleysa Ignatieva of Mississippi 6-4, 6-2. She will play Sarah Witten from Kentucky at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. "I think the kids played extremely hard and I think Middle Tennessee is right in the thick of things," Middle Tennessee women's tennis coach Randy Holden said. "Our singles still need a little work but Manon continued her streak and Carien is having a great tournament so that is very good." In doubles action the team of Kruse and Stacy Varnell remained undefeated, 8-0, with a 8-6 win over Marshall's Jessica Johnson and Anna Mitina in flight one. Venter and Verena Preiss defeated Purdeue's Shawn Zuccarini and Maria Walgenburg 8-2 in flight 2 and Tanja Buccheim and Emily Vest fell to Kentucky's Jill Buckley and Sarah Trefethen. Singles Flight One Manon Kruse (MT) def. Rebecca Ho (PSU) 6-3, 6-2 Flight Three Katie Blaszak (VU) def. Verena Preiss (MT) 4-6, 2-6 Carien Venter (MT) def. Aleysa Ignatieva (UM) 6-4, 6-2 Flight Five Kori Scott (VU) def. Stacy Varnell (MT) 5-7, 1-6 Flight Six Shannon Stafford (UK) def. Tanja Buchheim (MT) 1-6, 2-6 Flight Seven Joelle Good (MAR) def. Michaela Gridling (MT) 2-6, 5-7 Flight Eight Richelle LeSaldo (CLEM) def. Emily Vest (MT) 0-6, 5-7 Doubles Flight One Kruse/Varnell (MT) def. Mitina/Johnson (MAR)8-6 Flight Two Venter/Preiss (MT) def. Zuccarini/Walgenbach (PUR) 8-2 Trefethen/Buckley (UK) def. Buchheim/Vest (MT) 8-1

Middle Tennessee State University Athletics

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