Messiah Wraps Up Fall Play At MAC Individuals, Awaits Spring
Junior Katie Marstaller advanced to the semis at both the number three singles flight and the number three doubles flight over the weekend.

Kingston, PA — The Messiah women’s tennis team officially concluded its fall season at the 2009 MAC Individual Championships over the weekend, competing in the flighted tournament Friday through Sunday.

As poor weather conditions moved the three-day event indoors to the Kingston Indoor Tennis Center, Messiah was led by a foursome of semi-finalists, including junior Katie Marstaller at number three singles and senior Annie Gotchel at number four.

Marstaller then teamed with classmate Steph Knepper to advance to the semi-finals at the number three doubles flight, while Gotchel paired with junior Kristen Chen at number two doubles, coming just a match away from the finals as well.

With all first-round matches being played as pro-sets due to court constraints — being moved indoors forced play to continue long after midnight on Friday evening — Marstaller came out on fire in singles play, taking an 8-0 decision over FDU-Florham’s Lindsey Martin. The Topsham, Maine native then took out Christy Rossowski of King’s College in the quarter-finals by a 6-3, 6-2 count, advancing to face Xiaoqiao Zhang of Wilkes College in the semi-final round.

Zhang had Marstaller’s number Sunday afternoon, ending the Falcons’ threat with a 6-1, 6-3 decision.

Gotchel suffered a similar defeat to Wilkes’ Alexis Donner Sunday, dropping a 6-0, 6-0 loss in the fourth singles semi-final. Like Marstaller, Gotchel got through the opening round (an 8-6 decision over Arcadia University’s Beth Osipowitz) before defeating Desales University’s Ariane Cain by a 6-4, 6-4 decision in the quarters.

Knepper (fifth flight) and Chen (sixth) also captured opening-round wins in singles play, as Knepper took out Albright College’s Missy Yake by an 8-0 score while Chen thumped Lycoming College’s Adriana Rivera by an 8-1 count.

Both suffered defeats in Saturday’s quarter-final rounds, however, as each dropped 6-2, 6-2 decisions: Knepper to Wilkes’ Michelle Knight and Chen to Elizabethtown College’s Kristi Noecker.

In doubles play, Messiah was paced by its number two and three teams, as both came just a step away from competing for a championship in their respective flights. Gotchel and Chen breezed past DeSales’ number two doubles team by an 8-2 score before handing Rossowski and Lauren Breen of King’s a thrilling, 9-7 decision early Saturday, setting up a mach with Wilkes’ Zhang and Alexis Donner later in the day.

Sadly, the Colonels’ tandem was just too powerful, as Gotchel and Chen dropped an 8-0 decision.

Marstaller and Knepper met a similar fate in the third doubles semi-finals, falling to Wilkes’ Knight and Rebekah Shanaman by an 8-3 score. The Falcons’ duo opened with an 8-2 win over FDU-Florham’s Martin and Megan Koenig, and followed that with another 8-2 decision over Eastern University’s Amanda Prescott and Jacquelyn Sauder.

Messiah will now return to the practice courts in preparation for the Commonwealth Conference Tournament, which will commence in early May, immediately before the NCAA Tournament begins. With a 4-2 league mark, Messiah finished as the third seed in the conference, and will travel to second-seeded Lebanon Valley College on May 4 to begin Commonwealth post-season action. The Dutchmen eked out a 5-4 decision over the Falcons Oct. 14. Match time for the May playoff date will be posted once it becomes known.