2017 Oracle ITA Masters Information

MALIBU, California – UNCW's Madara Straume wrapped up play at the 2017 Oracle ITA Masters late Friday with a marathon loss to Northern Kentucky's Marghita Sunjic in the singles consolation draw.
 
Straume won the first set, 6-2, but battled cramps down the stretch and fell, 2-6, 6-4, 7-5, to the sophomore from Croatia. The match lasted three hours and 20 minutes on the courts at Pepperdine.
 
"I'm beyond grateful for the experience," said Straume from the West Coast. "The matches I played provided me with an opportunity to walk the path of a warrior and I trust in who I want to be as a person on the court and in life one who lays her heart and soul into every action.
 
"This experience will help me very much with finding a source of growing strength and inspiration while going forward in my path. I would like to express my immense gratitude to the Seahawk family for their genuine support and belief in me."
 
Sunjic was the Horizon League Player-of-the-Year and Freshman-of-the-Year last season following an 8-1 debut. She became NKU's first Player-of-the-Year in the NCAA Division I era and just the second all-time.
 
Straume will rejoin her teammates next weekend when UNCW plays host to the Seahawk National Invitational at the UNCW courts. The tournament will run Sept. 30 through Oct. 1.
 
The Jurmala, Latvia, product played mixed doubles and singles on the opening day of the event on Thursday. She partnered with Elon's Felipe Sarrasaque in a mixed doubles match and the tandem lost, 6-3, to Ivy League opponents Kristina Mathis of Dartmouth and Victor Pham of Columbia.
 
In her singles match in the main draw, Straume came out on the short end of a 6-0, 6-4 score to St. John's sophomore Jessica Livianu, the No 12 seed.