Strong Showing From Several Dragons at Women's Tennis Saint Joseph's Invitational

PHILADELPHIA - The Drexel women's tennis team made its mark at the 2011 Saint Joseph's Invitational before rain forced the event to be shortened. Marcela Rosales won her singles flight, and the doubles teams of Rosales and Zeynep Mafa, as well as Sonja Stosic and Alex Bell each reached the finals of their doubles flights.

Rosales, playing in Singles Flight 2, opened her tournament with a 6-3, 7-6 (1) defeat of Lauren Roy from the host Saint Joseph's Hawks. In the quarterfinals, she cruised to a 6-4, 6-4 victory over Amanda Nelson, then swept away Paola Calderon of Temple in the semifinals before dispatching Dorothy Safron in the final.

Mel Reyes also put up a strong singles showing, making the semifinals of her flight. After receiving a bye through to the quarterfinals, Reyes bounced back from a first set loss to take out Aurora McQuade of Villanova, 1-6, 6-3, 10-4.

Several other Dragons earned singles victories over the weekend. Emma Brook and Zeynep Mafa made the quarterfinals of their flight. Brook defeated Caitlin Gordon of Lafayette, 6-2, 6-0. Mafa knocked out Kirsten Leikem of Rhode Island, 6-4, 6-4.

Sonja Stosic and Alex Bell were each in the quarterfinals of Singles Flight 3, with Stosic defeating Michelle Dussol of Rhode Island, 6-0, 6-0 and Bell downing Kate Pettee of Villanova, 6-7 (4), 6-2, 10-6.

Aysenil Orhon got a victory when she defeated Michele Vona of Saint Joseph's, 6-1, 6-1.

Doubles play was suspended due to the rain, but not before two Drexel duos made the finals of their flights. Mafa and Rosales took three matches by scores of 8-3, 8-3 and 8-5 to move into the finals of their flight. Stosic and Bell, meanwhile, made the finals by earning a first-round bye and then winning 8-4 and 8-2.

The Dragons will return to action this weekend at the Hampton Roads Invitational in Newport News, Va.