July 12, 2010

ST. LOUIS - Saint Louis rising junior Jenny Nalepa (Brighton, Mich./Brighton) won the singles backdraw at the University of Michigan ITA Summer Circuit tournament July 3-5.

Nalepa, who earned second-team Atlantic 10 All-Conference honors last season, won five matches in the backdraw after falling to eventual champion Annie Sullivan (Yale) in the opening round. She began her march with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Kayla Fujimoto (Indiana), then reached the backdraw quarterfinals by downing Rachel Denny (Western Michigan) 6-4, 3-0 ret.

Nalepa breezed past Claire McNulty (Dayton) 6-1, 6-2 to set up what became an epic semifinal against Meika Ashby (Kalamazoo, Mich.). She outlasted Ashby 6-1, 5-7, 11-9 to earn a spot in the final, where she was a 6-1, 6-1 winner over Cassidy Cunitz (Murray State).