Huskies’ Newcomers Display a Strong First Outing

Junior transfer Natalie Allen defeated freshman Angela Chen in the blue division finals of the St. Mary's Invite on Tuesday, in Seattle.

SEATTLE, Wash. - The University of Washington Women's Tennis team continued action in the St. Mary's Invite this week as two of the Huskies' newcomers faced off in the blue division finals on their home court in Seattle on Tuesday.

Natalie Allen, a Washington native and junior transfer from Army, competed against freshman Angela Chen, with Allen coming out on top with a 6-3; 3-6; 6-4 victory.

“They both played well, and it was a great accomplishment for them to reach the finals.” On their first appearances as Huskies, Coach Jill Hultquist noted, “I was very proud of both of them as they played good solid tennis all weekend.”

Both women had strong performances all weekend leading up to the finals Tuesday.

Allen started off the tournament by defeating Fresno State’s Claire Yang 2-6, 6-1,6-2 after a bye in the round of 32. She then faced Pacific’s Christiana Ferrari in the quarterfinals where she was victorious 7-5, 6-1. She breezed through the semifinals with a 6-1, 6-4 win over San Francisco’s Brooke Irish which placed her in the final match with her teammate.

Chen’s route to the finals was fairly easy as she defeated Portland’s Marina Remiers (6-1; 6-1), Cal Poly’s Chanel Scudiero (6-2; 6-1) and Cal-Poly’s Sayaka Tsugai (6-2; 6-1) to get to the semifinal match against Gonzaga’s Isabel Klingert. The semifinal match was a battle as Chen claimed the first set 7-6 (5), then lost the second 1-6 before rallying for the win with a 6-2 win in the third.

Down in Moraga over the weekend, the Huskies brought home two doubles titles and 21 overall match wins.

Up next for the Huskies is the NW Regionals which are to be held on the campus of Stanford University, Oct. 18-22.

ITA Blue Singles
Finals -- Tuesday, Oct. 15 in Seattle
Natalie Allen d. Angela Chen, 6-3; 3-6; 6-4