LAS VEGAS, Nev. - University of Colorado seniors Camila Belassi and Melisa Esposito each won their respective Round of 32 and Round of 16 matches, Thursday afternoon on day two of the Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Mountain Regional at Las Vegas.
With their pair of wins, both will face off against one another in the main draw quarterfinals on Friday.
Esposito, seeded ninth, holds a 2-1 edge in head-to-head matches with Belassi, who is seeded seventh. All three matches with Esposito/Belassi have been played once every fall since 2006, however all three were played at the CU Invitational.
Belassi rallied from a set down in 2006 to win in three sets; Esposito has won the last two, both in straight sets.
In Esposito's first singles match on Thursday, she rallied from a set down and defeated Utah's Erin Monson, 2-6, 6-3, 6-4. It marked the seventh time Esposito has rallied from a set down to claim victory and improved her three set career record to 14-4. In the Round of 16, Esposito swept McCall Jones of BYU, 6-4, 6-2.
Belassi's pair of wins came against Wyoming's Rebecca Berger, 7-5, 6-2 in the Round of 32, then later in the day, defeated Stephanie Bergner of Denver, 6-3, 6-3.
The pair of victories by Esposito and Belassi moves each of them up in the all-time singles wins list in school history. Esposito climbs into a tie for 20th with 67 triumphs, and Belassi is 23rd with 60 wins.
More incredibly are their fall singles records covering their four years in Boulder. Esposito is 27-9 overall, while Belassi is 26-14.
In other main draw singles play, Monica Milewski dropped her first fall match of the season in nine attempts falling to UNLV's Jana Albers, 6-4, 6-0 in the Round of 32. Milewski's career fall tally is 37-10.
In the consolation singles back draw, junior Abbie Probert rebounded from Wednesday's main draw loss picking up a pair of wins. Probert defeated Montana's Heather Davidson, 6-2, 6-0, then in the evening, rallied from a set down and defeated Caitlin Fluegge of Colorado State, 2-6, 6-2, 6-1.
Both CU doubles teams advanced in Thursday's main draw. Belassi and Esposito cruised to an 8-1 win over Montana State's Jenn Coll/Andreas Dela Torre. Belassi/Esposito picked up their fourth victory in five matches played this fall , while Milewski and Probert played with one another for the first time together. Milewski/Probert were no match for BYU's Chie Hayasaka/Andie Young winning 8-2.
The doubles win for Milewski was her 66th of her career moving into a third place tie on the school's all-time list.
The CU pairs are back in action Friday. If both CU tandems win their Round of 16 match Friday morning, then will face one another in the afternoon quarterfinals.
Wilson/Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Mountain Regional
Darling Tennis Center, Las Vegas, Nev., Oct. 14-18
MAIN DRAW SINGLES
Round of 32
Melisa Esposito (CU) def. Erin Monson (Utah) 2-6, 6-3, 6-4
Camila Belassi (CU) def. Rebecca Berger (Wyoming) 7-5, 6-2
Jana Albers (UNLV) def. Monica Milewski (CU) 6-4, 6-0
Round of 16
Melisa Esposito (CU) def. McCall Jones (BYU) 6-4, 6-2
Camila Belassi (CU) def. Stephanie Bergner (Denver) 6-3, 6-3
Quarterfinal, Friday
Melisa Esposito (CU) vs. Camila Belassi (CU), 12:15 p.m.
C
ONSOLATION SINGLES, Second Round
Abbie Probert (CU) def. Heather Davidson (Montana) 6-2, 6-0
CONSOLATION SINGLES, Third Round
Abbie Probert (CU) def. Caitlin Fluegge (Colorado State) 2-6, 6-2, 6-1
MAIN DRAW DOUBLES
Round of 64
Camila Belassi/Melisa Esposito (CU) first round bye
Monica Milewski/Abbie Probert (CU) first round bye
Round of 32
Belassi/Esposito (CU) def. Jenn Coll/Andreas Dela Torre (Montana State) 8-1
Milewski/Probert (CU) def. Chie Hayasaka/Andie Young (BYU) 8-2
Round of 16, Friday, 8 am
Belassi/Esposito (CU) vs. Stephanie Jasper/Bianca Jochimsen (Boise State), 8 a.m.
Milewski/Probert (CU) vs. Sarah Summerfield/Carly Van Hollen (Wyoming), 8 a.m.
