MALIBU, Calif. – Idaho women's tennis senior Marianna Petrei made quick work of her first match at the Oracle ITA Masters Thursday, defeating No. 89 Jessica Livianu of St. John's in straight sets 6-4, 6-4. Petrei currently sits at No. 20 in the ITA national rankings and will take on No. 18 Kate Fahey from Michigan Friday, in the round of 16.
 
Petrei is making her third appearance at the ITA Masters, which features 32 singles players in each the men's and women's draws. One male and one female student-athlete from each conference around the country is invited before at-large selections fill in the remaining seeds. This is Petrei's third time competing as the Big Sky representative.
 
The Udine, Italy, native won one match in each of her first two appearances at the tournament and now advances to the round of 16 for the third time. Petrei and  Fahey will meet with a spot in the quarterfinals on the line. The potential quarterfinal match would also take place Friday. The semifinals and final are slated for Saturday and Sunday, respectively.
 
A trio of Petrei's Vandal teammates will also be in action this weekend, competing at the Cougar Classic hosted by Washington State University. Maggie Chen, Marta Magalhaes and Laura Spataro will take on a field that includes the host Cougars, as well as competitors from Boise State, Montana State and Seattle.