Balasa, Megomedova Lead Rutgers Women's Tennis at Princeton Invitational
Sep 28 | Women's Tennis
PRINCETON, NJ - Alina Balasa (East Brunswick, NJ) and Helen Megomedova (Brooklyn, NY) each claimed a singles title and teamed up for a doubles victory for Rutgers as it competed at the Princeton Invitational Friday, Sept. 26 through Sunday, Sept. 28.
Balasa won the Flight AII singles title by defeating Mateya McKay in the finals, 6-1, 6-2. She advanced to the finals with a hard-fought 6-4, 6-3 victory over Jackie Arcario of Princeton. In the quarterfinals, Balasa won a three-set thriller, knocking off Cholie Lipp of Colgate, 5-7, 6-3, 11-9.
In Flight CI singles, it was a all-Rutgers final, as Megomedova defeated Kaitlin Link (Ontario, Canada) in the finals, 6-3, 6-4. Link advanced to the finals with a pair of straight-set victories, ousting Allison Stoloff, 6-3, 6-2 and Rachael Price of Princeton, 6-4, 6-1. Megomedova cruised past Francesca Muraska-Blank of Lehigh, 6-0, 6-0, and Jessica Sede of Colgate, 7-5, 6-4.
Andrea Weckstein (Holmdel, NJ) was RU's lone representative in Flight AI singles, and she lost to Jennifer Goeta of Temple, 6-1, 4-6, 11-9 before earning a default win over Rankin Williams of Princeton.
In Flight BI singles, Lauren Edelstein (Shawnee, NJ) defeated Lindsey Long of Lehigh, 6-2, 6-3 but lost to Joanna Roth of Princeton, 6-1, 6-2.
Weckstein and Keteven Shmakova (Dover, NJ) advanced to the semifinals before losing to a team from Princeton, 8-5. Edelstein and Jill Markowitz (Forest Hills, NY) fell to Carlin and Roth of Princeton in the semifinals of Flight B doubles, 8-6. Balasa and Megomedova captured the Flight C double title by defeating Blankstein and Emmitt of Princeton, 8-1, in the semifinals and Sede and Stoloff of Colgate in the finals, 8-1.
Rutgers returns to action next weekend when it travels to West Point, NY,
for the Eastern Collegiate Tournament beginning on Friday, Oct. 3 and ending
on Sunday, Oct. 5.
