Solorzano Valencia & Antao Lead Women's Tennis at USTA/ITA East Regional

Antao and Solorzano Valencia are the first Skyhawks to reach an ITA East Regional Championship (PHOTO COURTESY Queens Athletics)

Skyhawks doubles pairing earn championship top seed, reach final to make program history

FLUSHING, N.Y. (September 21, 2021) – The Stonehill College women's tennis program made history at the 2021 United States Tennis Association (USTA)/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Division II East Regional Championships held at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, home of the US Open, this weekend.

Stonehill made history with its top doubles

pairing of juniors Cristina Solorzano Valencia and Steffi Antao earning the No. 1 overall seed in the East Regional Doubles Championship – marking the first time a Stonehill tennis program has earned a No. 1 overall seed. The duo also both earned seeds for the East Region Singles Championship, with Solorzano Valencia seeded No. 3 and Antao No. 7. The No. 3 seed for Solorzano Valencia is also a program-best for the ITA Championships by an individual.

Solorzano Valencia and Antao went on to make more program history by reaching the final of the doubles championship, before being topped by the Franklin Pierce University duo of postgrads Himani Mor and Anais Geslin, 6-2, 6-2. It marks the deepest run by a Stonehill tennis entry at the ITA, doubles or singles, besting semifinal appearances in previous seasons. Solorzano Valencia and Antao reached the final by knocking off No. 5-seeds Magdalena Hubikova and Natalie Kallmunzerova from Southern New Hampshire University in the semifinal round, after surviving a tiebreaker in the quarterfinals against a team from the University of District of Columbia.

Solorzano Valencia and senior Emma Markaryan also advanced to the Round of 16 in the ITA East Regional Singles Championship. Both were defeated by seeded players, with Markaryan falling to No. 14 Liria Loria of Franklin Pierce and Solorzano Valencia being defeated by Kallmunzerova, the eventual regional champion.

Markaryan and senior Samantha Ormesher reached the Round of 16 in doubles play. The Stonehill tandem opened with an 8-2 win over Post University's Alexandra Dereban and Julia D'Occhio in the first round.  

 

Solorzano Valencia, seeded No. 3 overall, reached the singles Round of 16 (PHOTO BY Navraj Sandu/Queens Athletics)

Stonehill Results 

Women's Doubles Championship First Round

#1 Cristina Solorzano Valencia/Steffi Antao (STO) def. Paula Palero/Eliza Mudler (STAC) 8-4

Emma Markaryan/Samantha Ormesher (STO) def. Alexandra Dereban/Julia D'Occhio (PST) 8-2

 

Women's Doubles Championship Round of 16

#1 Cristina Solorzano Valencia/Steffi Antao (STO) def. Meritxell Jimeno-Vicente/Victoria Azcona (AIC) 8-4

Brooke Fernandez/Francesca Lilligren (LEM) def. Emma Markaryan/Samantha Ormesher (STO) 8-6

 

Women's Doubles Championship Quarterfinals

#1 Cristina Solorzano Valencia/Steffi Antao (STO) def. C. Lopez/Mariona Franco Martin (UDC) 9-8 (7-4)

 

Women's Doubles Championship Semifinals

#1 Cristina Solorzano Valencia/Steffi Antao (STO) def. #5 Magdalena Hubickova/Natalie Kallmunzerova (SNH) 8-6

 

Women's Doubles Championship

#3 Himari Mor/Anais Geslin (FPU) def. #1 Cristina Solorzano Valencia/Steffi Antao (STO) 6-2, 6-2

 

Women's Singles Championship First Round

#15 Jessica Purdy (WIL) def. Samantha Ormesher (STO), 6-2, 7-5

Himari Mor (FPU) def. #7 Steffi Antao (STO), 6-4, 6-3

#3 Cristina Solorzano Valencia (STO) def. Gianna Vassalluzzo (CHC), 6-1, 6-0

Emma Markaryan (STO) def. Nele Haag (CHC), 4-6, 7-5, 10-8)

 

Women's Singles Championship Second Round

#3 Cristina Solorzano Valencia (STO) def. Kirsten Wijnsema (SCI) 6-2, 6-2

Emma Markaryan (STO) def. Gaayatri Shankar (UNH) 6-2, 6-3

 

Women's Singles Championship Round of 16

#16 Natalie Kallmunzerova (SNH) def. #3 Cristina Solorzano Valencia (STO) 6-0, 6-4

#14 Liria Loria (FPU) def. Emma Markaryan (STO) 6-2, 6-4

 

Stonehill (1-1, 1-1 NE10), ranked No. 2 in the ITA Division II East Region rankings, is back in action on Wednesday, when it hosts American International College for an NE10 match at Charles Watt Tennis Courts at 3 p.m.