Kuehn Falls in Opening Round of NCAA Singles Championships
May 23, 2005 | Women's Tennis
May 23, 2005
ATHENS, Ga. - Despite a first-set win over Stanford's Alice Barnes, Tulane junior Jenny Kuehn dropped her second and third sets in the opening round of the 2005 NCAA Singles Championship Monday afternoon at the Magill Tennis Center.
Kuehn won the first set 6-3 before Barnes claimed sets two and three for the win, 6-4, 6-2. A 2005 first-team All-Conference USA selection, Kuehn concludes the season with a singles mark of 19-12.
"Jenny did well in the first set. She was hitting the ball solidly off of the ground and volleying well and had a very good control of the net. She won some critical points in the first set to really establish herself against Stanford's No. 2 player," Tulane head coach David Schumacher said. "In the second set, Alice (Barnes) got into sync and stopped making errors. Jenny began making errors and Alice just played solid tennis. If Jenny could have gotten off to a good start in the second set, it could have been a bit different."
Kuehn, who was instrumental in the Green Wave's run for its third straight Conference USA crown and a second consecutive trip to the NCAA Round of 16, took an early 4-1 lead in set one before taking a 6-3 win.
On a windy afternoon, 20th-ranked Barnes found her rhythm in the second frame and held off a late rally from No. 47 Kuehn to send the match to a decisive third set with a 6-4 decision.
Barnes, who was named Most Outstanding Singles Player of the NCAA Tournament after winning each of her singles and doubles matches in the five round of the tournament for the champion Cardinal, used several errors by Kuehn to her advantage in the final set to claim a 6-2 triumph.
Tulane sisters Maria and Darya Ivanov , currently ranked No. 31 in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's doubles rankings, will meet Michigan's Michelle DaCosta and Kara Delicata in the NCAA Doubles Tournament on Tuesday at 12:30 p.m. (CDT) at the Magill Tennis Center.
