NASHVILLE, Tenn. – The University of Tennessee at Martin tennis team claimed three flight championships in their fall debut this weekend at a tournament hosted by Belmont and Lipscomb University.
UT Martin captured two singles championships (Flight 3, Flight 5) and a doubles title (Flight 3). Overall, the Skyhawks went 18-8 in both singles and doubles action.
“Considering we have only had a few days of practice I thought we played well,” Skyhawk head coach Dennis Taylor said. “We only lost a few matches and even those were extremely close and could have easily gone our way.”
Senior Alice Laing and freshman Florence Nicole both went undefeated in singles play. Laing won all three matches on her way to a Flight 3 singles championship, downing Natalie Nunes from Belmont (3-6, 6-3, 10-4) as well as Western Kentucky’s Alex Crofford (7-5, 6-3) and McKinley Mason (6-1, 1-0 retired). Nicole defeated Lipscomb’s Reagon Panovec 6-0, 6-0 and Covington from Austin Peay 6-0, 6-1 in the Flight 5 finals.
Johanie Van Zyl advanced all the way to the Flight 1 championship, defeating Alyssa Bellini of Lipscomb (6-3, 6-3) and Ornella di Salvo of Austin Peay (6-2, 6-1) before barely falling to Lipscomb’s Deahna Welcher in the finals 7-5, 7-5.
Seniors Anna Marie Herbold and Anna Winkelmann each recorded championships in their flight consolations. Herbold (Flight 2) fell to Lipscomb’s Melissa Kromer 6-2, 7-5 but bounced back to defeat Carolina Barboza of Western Kentucky (6-3, 6-0) and Catherine Holliday of Belmont (6-7, 6-3, 10-6). Winkelmann (Flight 3) lost a tough one to Vanessa Tavares of Austin Peay (3-6, 6-3, 10-4) before picking up wins against the Belmont tandem of Sandra Kancheva (6-0, 6-1) and Natalie Nunes (6-4, 7-5).
Junior Katie McCall won two of three in the Flight 4 competition, earning third place honors. She took down Tori West of Belmont by a 6-4, 6-2 margin before falling to Jovana Karac of Austin Peay (6-1, 6-4). She quickly bounced back to defeat Ann Lauren Fiepke of Belmont by a score of 6-3, 6-2.
Herbold and Nicole teamed together to bring home the Flight 3 doubles title. The duo bested teams from Lipscomb (Shilpa Naruka/Panovec, 8-0), Western Kentucky (Mason/Morgan Freeman, 8-6) and Austin Peay (Karac/Covington, 8-2).
In the Flight 1 doubles bracket, the Skyhawks entered a pair of teams. The team of Winkelmann and Laing narrowly fell to Lipscomb’s Welcher and Borck by an 8-6 margin before recovering to defeat Monta Reinfelde and Madeline Phillips 8-6. Winkelmann and Laing then barely fell to Austin Peay’s di Salvo and Alison Caire (9-7).
Van Zyl and McCall also took part in the Flight 1 doubles competition, falling to Austin Peay’s di Salvo/Caire 8-6 and to Lipscomb’s Welcher/Borck 8-5 before finishing on a high note with a victory over Reindelde and Phillips of Western Kentucky (8-6).
UT Martin returns to action later this month at the Austin Peay Fall Tournament on Sept. 28-30.