University of Texas Arlington
SMU Invitational
WT: Birowski highlights play at SMU Invitational.
10/9/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Results
By Michael Eldridge | @DFWSportsMike
DALLAS - Senior Jessica Birowski highlighted UT Arlington's stay in the SMU Invitational, claiming a title in the singles draw on Sunday.
Birowski defeated Gonzaga's Graciela Rosas 7-6, 6-3 in the final of Draw 3 to cap a perfect weekend and earning her first title of the season.
"I am very happy for Jessi, she played a very clean tournament with a minimum of unforced errors," UTA coach Diego Benitez said. "It was nice to see this pattern in all three rounds. In the final, she stayed focused and battled in the pressure points."
The Fridingen, Germany native knocked out Marquette's Fleur Eggink in the opener and then Abilene Christian's Erin Walker in the semi final.
Birowski was able to follow up a strong performance in singles with an equally impressive run in doubles. Paired with Astrid Gehre, the tandem was able to bounce back from an opening-round loss to earn a consolation bracket title. The pair defeated teams from Air Force and Gonzaga in the consolation rounds.
Valeria Lopez won her opening match over UTSA, but was unable to move past Ellie Zogg from SMU. Lopez bounced back in the winner's consolation final by defeating Incarnate Word's Matea Zemunik.
"We had a very good performance in the tournament," Benitez said. "It seems like we are applying what we are working on in practice to competition. We still have plenty of time to continue getting better."
The UTA women wrap up the fall season at the ITA Texas Regional beginning on Oct. 20 in Waco, Texas.
