BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The LIU Brooklyn women's tennis team opened its fall season this weekend, as the Blackbirds headed to Stony Brook, N.Y., to take part in the annual Stony Brook Invitational. It was the first weekend of action in the 2013-14 season, and featured teams from URI, FDU, Army, Navy and Stony Brook, among others.

In the A singles draw, Sanne Louwers and Katya Yegoreychenko teamed up to get a first round win over Anika Novacek and Destiny Grunin of Fordham, 8-4. In the second round, however, the Blackbird duo fell to Jamila Paul and Gabriella Spindler from Army, 9-7.

In the B doubles bracket, Isabella Wagener and Britanny Thompson fell in the first round to Haley O'Connor and Caroline Lorenzini from Army, 8-0.

The A singles bracket saw Yegoreychenko earn a first-round win over Sabrina Tahir of Marist, 6-1, -6, 10-8, before she fell to Erin Snook from Navy, 6-1, 6-0 in the second round.

Louwers, also playing in the A singles bracket, advanced the furthest for LIU. She had a first round win over Gabby Spindler of Army, 6-0, 6-1, and then beat FDU's Ksenija Tihomirova in the second round, 2-6, 6-1, 10-5. Advancing to the semifinals, she faced off against Jackie AltanSarnai from the host Stony Brook, and fell, 6-1, 7-6 (2).  

The B, C and D singles brackets all saw LIU athletes fall in the first round. In the B bracket, Lisa Maas fell to Cassandra Dix of Stony Brook, 6-0, 6-2. C singles saw newcomer Isabella Wagener drop two sets to Lisa Setyon from Stony Brook, 6-4, 6-1, and Josephine Mancin fell in the first round of the D group to Amanda Junkins from URI, 5-7, 6-3, 10-7.

Junior Brittany Thompson had a first round win in the D bracket, before being defeated in the second round. In her first match of the tournament, she beat Alexa Cohn of Stony Brook, 1-6, 6-4, 10-8, before falling to Audry Channell of Navy in the second round, 6-1, 6-0.

Up next for LIU is the Army Invitational in West Point, N.Y., Friday, September 27 to Sunday, September 29.