SCF Tennis Starts Strong at Nationals

Mesa, AZ - The SCF tennis got off to a strong start as they finished day one of the NJCAA Women’s Tennis Championship the Mesa Tennis Center at Gene Autry Park in Mesa, Arizona. The Manatee are leading in first place with 14 points. All six players advanced to the second round (Round of 16) in singles and doubles action.

Sophomore Karla Menedez would open the doors first at the flight #1 singles as she defeated freshman Itzel Lara-Gonzalez (Hinds CC) in three sets (6-3, 3-6, 6-3). Menendez will face Hillsborough’s freshman Mbali Langa, the #5 seed in the flight. Langa defeated sophomore Cameron Ward (Collin CC) with a 6-2 pair decision.

At the flight #2 singles, Lou Bonet De Frietas would defeat Madelyn Dibble (Marion Military) 6-0, 6-1. Bonet De Freitas will face freshman Elizabeth Wooten (Hinds CC), who defeated Sonia Chino (Sauk Valley CC) 6-2, 7-5.

Sophomore Brie Botsford would defeat classmate Kaylen Bond (Mississippi Gulf Coast) 6-1, 6-0 at flight #3 and will face HCC’s Viktoryian Zhadzinskaya, the #2 seed who earned a first round bye.

At flight #4, freshman Sarah Forsyth would defeat redshirt sophomore Judith Mills (Jones) 6-2, 6-0. Forsyth will face #1 seed Saara Kunakunova (Cowley CC), who received a first round bye.

Meanwhile freshmen Kia Caravalho-Landell, the #4 seed and Luna Mouton, the #6 seed, each received a first round bye at flights #4 and #5 respectively. While Caravalho-Landell awaits the winner between sophomore Breanna Vann (Wallace State) and sophomore Nina Pigeassou (Abraham Baldwin), Mouton will face freshman Cammie Wallace (Eastern Arizona), the #5 seed.

After singles action, doubles went underway, beginning with Caravaggio and Bonet De Freitas, who were the #7 seed, would advance to the second round in the flight #1 doubles by defeating the sophomore duo of Valentina Kukuruzovic and Desiree Ahlberg (Bryant & Stratton) 6-0, 6-1. They will face sophomore Krissy Georgieva and freshman Kasey Kent (Mississippi Gulf Coast), who defeated the freshman duo of Noelani Lui and Krystel Quintero (Paradise Valley).

At flight #2 doubles, Botsford and Forsyth defeated sophomores Nia Black and Mikayla Herrera (Eastern Arizona) 6-1, 6-0. They will face sophomore Maria Garcia-Pulido and Lucia Popluharova, the #3 seed that earned a first round bye.

Mendez and Mouton defeated the sophomore duo of Emma and Rachel Slade (Iowa Central) 6-2, 6-1 at flight #3 doubles. They will face sophomore Lillian Hotstetter and freshman Reagan Ramsey (Collin CC), who earned a first round bye.

Day One Standings:

1. SCF (14)

2. Abraham Baldwin (12)

Collin (12)

Eastern Florida State (12)

Iowa Central (12)

Meridian (12)

7. Barton (10)

Copiah-Lincoln (10)

10. Eastern Arizona (8)

Wallace State (8)

12. Jones (6)

Mississippi Gulf Coast (6)

New Mexico Military (6)

Seward (6)

16. Central Alabama (4)

East Central (4)

Hartford (4)

Hinds (4)

Kaskaskia (4)

21. Bryant and Stratton (2)

Hillsborough (2)

Marion Military (2)

Paradise Valley (2)

St. Pete (2)

26. Mesa (0)

Sauk Valley (0)

Tyler (0)

South Carolina-Sumter (0)

Up Next:

Day two of the tournament will commence Sunday morning.
Times of Matches:

Singles-

1. Mendez vs Langa @ 3 pm EST/12 pm MST
2. Bonet De Freitas vs Wooten @ 1:30 pm EST/10:30 MST
3. Botsford vs Zhadzinskaya @ 1 pm EST/10 am MST
4. Forsyth vs #1 Kunakunova @ 11:30 am EST/8:30 am MST
5. #4 Caravalho-Landell vs Pigeassou @ 10:30 am EST/7:30 am MST
6. #6 Mouton vs Wallace @ 10:30 am EST/7:30 am MST

Doubles-
1. Carvalho-Landell/Bonet De Freitas vs Georgieva/Kent @ 3 pm EST/12 pm MST
2. Botsford/Forsyth vs Garcia-Pulido/Popluharova @ 5:30 pm EST/2:30 pm MST
3. Mendez/Mouton vs Hotstetter/Ramsey @ 4:30 pm EST/1:30 pm MST