Poettcker Advances to Main Draw, but Loses Opening Singles Match

Mobile, Alabama - Trinity University Tigers junior Katy Poettcker of Colleyville, Texas (Heritage), is in the singles consolation semifinals of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association National Small College Championships.

Poettcker will meet Lia Weiner of Rochester at 10:30 a.m. Friday at Copeland-Cox Tennis Center. The winner plays for fifth place at 11 a.m. Saturday, and the loser for seventh place, also at 11.

In Wednesday's singles play-in match, Poettcker defeated Abby Olbrich of Linfield 6-3, 6-4. Laura Chen of Carnegie Mellon beat Poettcker 6-2, 6-1 in Thursday's main-draw quarterfinals.

Poettcker and first-year player Thavindra Ekanayake of Sri Lanka also competed in a doubles play-in match Wednesday. The Tiger duo were eliminated by the Linfield team of Olbrich and Sallie Katter in a 7-6 (4), 6-3 match.

Tiger first-year men's player Erick DelaFuente of El Paso, Texas (Coronado), lost a Wednesday singles play-in 7-5, 6-0 to Whitman's Matt Solomon.

Qualifiers for the national tournament are ITA regional singles and doubles champions. Poettcker won the Southwest Region singles title, beating Ekanayake, at Trinity earlier this month. The Tiger tandem captured the regional doubles crown. DelaFuente was the men's regional singles champion, taking the honor in late September at Richardson, Texas.