St. John's University Athletics
Livianu Advances to Second Round of NCAA Championships
5/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
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ATHENS, Ga. - St. John's freshman tennis sensation Jessica Livianu secured a spot in the second round of the NCAA Division I Women's Singles Championships after she topped Luisa Stefani of Pepperdine, 7-6(4), 6-4, in the first round of action on Wednesday afternoon.
Livianu moves to an impressive 19-2 in singles action during the outdoor season as she topped No. 14-ranked and No. 9-16 seeded Stefani in straight-sets. The first set played close as the two student-athletes moved to a tiebreaker after sitting even, 6-6. Livianu went on to win the tiebreak, 7-4, to grab a crucial first set.
The freshman held onto this momentum with her, 6-4, triumph in the second set, winning on her own serve and clinching a spot in the second round.
Stefani was 26-9 throughout the year including an impressive 17-4 record at the No. 1 singles spot for the Waves.
With this victory, Livianu marks another program first for the Johnnies, as she becomes not only the first-ever student-athlete to compete at the NCAA Tennis Championships, but the first-ever to win a match in NCAA Championship play.
No. 62-ranked Livianu will take on the winner of Gabby Smith (USC) and Andie Dikosavljevic (Auburn) in the second round on Thursday, May 25, at the Dan Magill Tennis Complex in Athens, Ga.
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