Riske, Tsoubanos Win Riviera All-America Doubles

Vanderbilt’s Sarah Riske and Aleke Tsoubanos became the first Commodores to ever win the Riviera/ITA Women’s All-American Championships hosted at the Riviera Country Club in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Riske and Tsoubanos had been seeded No. 1 heading into the tournament.

Riske, a senior from McMurry, Pa., and Tsoubanos, a junior from St. Louis, defeated an Oklahoma State team 8-4 in the championship match Sunday afternoon. A victory in the quarterfinals over a strong Georgia doubles team was one of the keys as the Bulldog pair had twice beaten them last year.

“This is one of the components of the collegiate tennis grand slam,” said Coach Geoff Macdonald. It is the biggest collegiate event of the fall season.”

Macdonald says the victory is a testimony to hard work and persistence.

“You have to realize that it’s tough to be ranked No. 1 but Sarah and Aleke are not hung up on trying to protect their ranking, they continue to work to be as good as they can be. They’ve stayed together and developed as a team – this is their third year of playing together. Every year they have improved their ranking. To do that you must be able to compliment each other and willing to work through many things,” Macdonald says.

Vanderbilt Results

First Round -- Sarah Riske/Aleke Tsoubanos, Vanderbilt def. Karie Schlukebir/Linda Tran, Indiana, 8-3

Quarterfinals - Oct. 11
(1) Sarah Riske/Aleke Tsoubanos, Vanderbilt def. Agata Cioroch/Lori Grey, Georgia, 8-1

Semifinals - Oct. 12
(1) Sarah Riske/Aleke Tsoubanos, Vanderbilt def. Delia Causevic/Emily Marker, Maryland, 8-

Final - Oct. 13
(1) Sarah Riske/Aleke Tsoubanos, Vanderbilt def. Linda Faltykova/Katia Kolodynska, Oklahoma State, 8-4

Riske and Tsoubanos Advance to Finals of ITA All-American Championship

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. - The top-ranked doubles team of senior Sarah Riske (McMurray, Pa.) and junior Aleke Tsoubanos (Chesterfield, Mo.) will look for their first national collegiate title on Sunday when they play in the finals of the ITA All-American Championship at the Riviera Tennis Club.

Riske and Tsoubanos will take on Linda Faltynkova and Katarzyna Kolodynska of Oklahoma State at 11 a.m. (PST) Sunday. The doubles tandem from Oklahoma State enters ranked No. 7 nationally.

The Vanderbilt duo defeated the No. 8-ranked doubles team of Agata Cioroch and Lori Grey of Georiga in the quarterfinals, 8-1. They then followed that up with a 8-3 win over No. 25-ranked Delia Causevic and Emily Marker of Maryland.

Riske Concludes Stint in Singles at ITA All-American Championship

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Senior Sarah Riske (McMurray, Pa.) won her first consolation match before dropping her second match on Friday evening at the Riviera Country Club.

Riske battled through two difficult three-set matches on Friday. In her opening match, she defeated Cristelle Grier of Northwestern, 2-6, 7-5, 7-6 (2). In her second match of the day, Riske fell to No. 19-ranked Julie Rotondi of Florida, 1-6, 6-0, 6-3.

The top-seeded doubles team of Riske and Aleke Tsoubanos (Chesterfield, Mo.) were scheduled to play their quarterfinal match against Georgia’s Agato Cioroch and Lori Gray, but results were not available. Check back to VUCommodores.com for the latest results on Riske and Tsoubanos

Riske Falls in Singles; Advances in Doubles with Tsoubanos at ITA Championship

PACIFIC PALISADES, Calif. – Senior Sarah Riske (McMurray, Pa.) fell in the opening round of the ITA All-American Championship on Thursday afternoon at the Riviera Tennis Club.

Riske, who entered today’s match ranked ninth nationally in the preseason ITA rankings, lost to No. 12-ranked Lindsay Dawaf of rival Florida in three grueling sets, 6-2, 4-6, 5-7.

Riske and her doubles partner junior Aleke Tsoubanos (Chesterfield, Mo.) advanced to the second round of doubles after defeating Karie Schlakebir and Linda Tran of Indiana in convincing fashion, 8-3. Riske and Tsoubanos, who are the top seed in the doubles draw, will take on Agata Cioroch and Lori Grey of Georgia on Friday afternoon.