Oct. 12, 2008
MIDLAND, Texas - Texas A&M women's tennis player Elzé Potgieter (pronounced el-ZAY POT-geeter) reached the finals today at the Midland Racquet Club Collegiate Invitational but was edged out in the championship match by Nebraska's Mary Weatherholt.
Potgieter, the tournament's No. 1 seed, and Weatherholt split the first two sets. Weatherholt, who had knocked off No. 3 seed Karolina Filipak of Baylor in the Round of 16, took the opening set, 7-5, but Potgieter came back to win the second set, 6-3, and force a 10-point super tiebreaker. Weatherholt then won the tiebreaker, 10-7, to win the championship.
Potgieter reached the finals by defeating Alex Liles of Pepperdine, 7-5, 6-3, in the semifinals earlier in the day. Liles is the older sister of Christi Liles, a sophomore on the Aggies tennis team.
In other action, Texas A&M has reached one singles final and two doubles finals at the USTA BJK NTC Women's College Invitational in Flushing, N.Y.
Freshman Christina Amo are in the finals in the Doubles "III" flight.
Complete results of the Women's College Invitational will be posted following the conclusion of the tournament on Monday.
Next up for the Aggies is the ITA Southwest Regional, Oct. 23-27 at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas. The singles finalists and the doubles champion will earn an automatic bid to the ITA National Indoor Championships, Nov. 6-9, hosted by the University of Virginia.
Midland Racquet Club Invitational -- Day 3 Results (Sunday, Oct. 12) Semifinals Elzé Potgieter (Texas A&M) def. Alex Liles (Pepperdine), 7-5, 6-3
Finals Mary Weatherholt (Nebraska) def. Elzé Potgieter (Texas A&M), 7-5, 3-6, 1-0 (7)
Midland Racquet Club Invitational -- Day 2 Results (Saturday, Oct. 11) Singles Round of 16 Elzé Potgieter (Texas A&M) def. Kelsy Garland (Texas Tech), 6-2, 6-1
Quarterfinals Elzé Potgieter (Texas A&M) def. Wiveca Swarting (Nebraska) 6-3, 4-6, 1-0 (7)
Singles Consolation Irina Paraschin (North Texas) def. Christi Liles (Texas A&M), 7-5, 6-0
Doubles Consolation Pichittra Thongdach (Boise State)/Irina Paraschin (North Texas) def. Christi Liles/Elzé Potgieter (Texas A&M), 8-5
Midland Racquet Club Invitational -- Day 1 Results (Friday, Oct. 10) Singles Round of 64 Vivien Silfany (Boise State) def. Christi Liles (A&M), 6-3, 7-5
Round of 32 Elzé Potgieter (Texas A&M) def. Emily Braid (Rice), 6-1, 6-2
Consolation: Christi Liles (Texas A&M) def. Irina Squillachi (Abilene Christian), 6-0, 6-4
Doubles: Round of 32 Christi Liles/Elzé Potgieter (Texas A&M) def. Monika Hadvigarova/Klara Jagasova (Texas-Arlington), 8-3