Oct. 24, 2002

WAKE FOREST, N.C. - Senior Sumitra Rao and sophomore Viktoria Gruber were both eliminated in their respective first-round matches at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA)Southeast Regional in the qualifying singles bracket, Thursday.

Rao dropped the first set of her match against Kentucky's Kacie Anson, 6-1, but recovered to take the second set 7-5. But Rao's fall singles schedule came to an end with Anson's 6-4 third set victory.

Gruber, making her first-ever ITA Southeast Regional appearance, was eliminated from the tournament by Kentucky's Shannon Stough, 6-1, 6-0.

The pair also played a first-round doubles match, Thursday, facing North Carolina A&T's Kathryn Jackson and Hanniyah Mayhum, and sweeping the A&T duo, 8-0. Rao and Gruber will now face South Carolina's Ayako Suzuki and Danielle Wiggins at 6 p.m., Friday.