WOMEN'S TENNIS FINISHES GREAT OUTING AT ITA REGIONALS

Sumter, SC - Five singles players getting out of the first round, a round of 16 appearance, two doubles pairs with wins, and a seeded team in both doubles and singles. All of these things coupled with having six athletes in the ITA regionals for the first time in school history make for a great storyline this fall for the Cobra women's tennis team.

Jade Bellegy, Coker women's tennis' first singles player, earned the ninth seed in the singles tournament. Coupled with partner Emerson Banning, the pair was named thr fourth seed in the doubles tournament. Bellegy is the first athlete in school history to be named a seed on both the singles and doubles sides, and her results in the tournament proved in.

Earning a bye in round one, she opened singles play with a resounding 6-3, 6-2 win over Young Harris' Viviana Gomez Lopez in round two. Then in round three, she continued her stellar play against Georgia College & State's Ashley Bentz, taking care of business in a 6-2, 6-2 victory. In the round of 16, she ran up against a tough opponent in Columbus State's Nikoline Gullacksen, who was the first overall seed in the tournament, and lost in a tight-knit 4-6, 2-6 contest. Of the 18 games played in that match, Bellegy went to 40-all 14 of those times. She held on and, if things went her way, could've just as easily seen herself in a quarterfinal appearance.

Elsewhere in singles play, four other athletes garnered wins in opening round play. Banning handled Georgia College & State's Victoria Conde Vendrell 6-2, 6-0 before falling to falling to Wingate's Chloe Kosmrlj in second round play, who was the third overall seed in the tournament and will play in a semifinal today. Salome Sierra defeated Augusta's Priscilla Landi 6-2, 6-4 before falling to Flagler's Dana Heimen, who was the fourth overall seed. Going further down the lineup, Ilona Hernandez Sanchez had a first round bye before pulling out a three-set victory (6-7[3], 7-6[5], 6-2) over Lander's Mille Elsborg before falling to Flagler's Eryka Kruk in the third round, who was also seeded. Rounding things off, Tamara Macias earned a round one victory against North Greenville's Mikayla McKenzie, beating her 7-5, 6-4 before falling to a seeded opponent in Georgia College & State's Ashley Bentz, who Bellegy defeated in the next round to qualify for the round of 16.

As mentioned previously, the Bellegy/Banning pairing was named the fourth seed in the doubles draw. After a first round bye, they handled Belmont Abbey's Mackenzie McCarthy and Haley Riner 8-4 in the second round. In the third, they dropped a tough match-up to Flagler's Angelina Linnikova and Carolina Reis, who will play in the final today to secure a championship. The other Cobras doubles pairing earning an opening round win was Macias and Sanchez, who, after a first round bye, handled Newberry's Lina Sarhan and Renee Dorval 8-5 in the second round. They ended up falling to seeded pairing Mille Elsborg and Maria Zarza from Lander 5-8 in the third round.

With all five athletes in singles securing wins before falling to top-seeded opponents, a round of 16 loss to the highest-rated player in the tournament, and two doubles wins before falling to a finalist and a seeded opponent, the ITA Southeast Regional was a resounding success for the Cobra women's tennis team. They will regroup this week before making the short drive to Florence this weekend for their own Coker Invitational at the Florence Tennis Center.