FLUSHING MEADOWS, N.Y. - - The Wilmington University women's tennis team competed at the 2018 ITA East Regional Tournament over the weekend, with an overall improvement from previous trips to the USTA Billie Jean King National tennis Center in Queens, New York.
All four doubles teams and all eight singles players competed in the individual competition, competing in a bracket style tournament against teams and individuals from the entire East Region.
The doubles partners of Andrea Ribalta and Laura Gil advanced the farthest among all the Wildcats, reaching the Round of 16 for the first time in program history. After an opening round bye, the duo took down a pair from Le Moyne, 8-5, before tackling a doubles team from crosstown rival Goldey-Beacom, 8-5 to reach the round of 16. But their run came to an end on Sunday morning, falling to a pair from Concordia, 8-5.
Two other doubles teams won a match over the weekend, as the pairings of Anushka Sathe and Begona Gomar, as well as Mallory Nolte and Sabrina Blasi-Smith, advanced to the round of 32. After a bye, Sathe and Gomar defeated Le Moyne, 9-7, before falling to Queens, 8-1. Nolte and Blasi-Smith also had a bye and then defeated Molloy, 8-1, before falling to a pair from Stonehill, 8-1.
On the singles side, the Wildcats had three student-athletes advance to the main draw, led by Laura Gil advancing to the Round of 32. Gil needed to win two matches in the qualifying bracket to advance to the main draw, and then defeated Stonehill's Emma Markaryan, 6-1 and 7-5, to advance to the Round of 32. Her run came to an end in a tiebreaker against Merrimack's Kristina Callistro, falling 4-6, 6-4, 0-1.
Begona Gomar also advanced to the Round of 32 after qualifying for the main draw prior to the tournament. Following a bye, Gomar dropped a hard fought match in a tiebreaker set as well to Le Moyne's Birdem Oz, 6-7 (3), 6-0, and 0-1 (2).
Newcomer Marie Rondot worked her way through two matches in the qualifying bracket to advance to the main draw as well, defeating Le Moyne's Belen Wibmer, 8-2, to earn a spot in the Round of 64. She fell to Southern New Hampshire's Alexxa Etienne, 6-3 and 6-3.
Tess Paya won her first superset match in the qualifying bracket, 8-1, over Molloy's Megan Scali, but narrowly missed the main draw by falling in the second superset, 9-7, to Goldey-Beacom's Kristin Radeke.
The Wildcats return to team play this week, as they get set to begin their Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference slate. They head to Chestnut Hill on Tuesday with the first serve set for 3:00 p.m.