Over this past weekend the Lady Bucs’ tennis team hosted the annual ETSU Fall Collegiate Tournament in their season opener.
The tournament was originally scheduled for earlier in September, but this year’s hurricane season added the tournament to a number of other events canceled because of hurricane threat.
The day-and-a-half tournament started Friday with great weather but Saturday morning’s play was delayed for about an hour with rain.
Forty-eight girls entered into play in singles matches Friday and by the end of Saturday’s play that was narrowed to the winners of each category.
Overall the Lady Bucs played in 24 matches over the weekend with each player being able to play in six matches throughout the tournament. The Bucs played in four of the six singles categories, winning three of them and making it to the finals in all of them.
The doubles tournament was also great for the Bucs. In the A bracket, the Bucs had both teams entered make it to the finals.
Sandie Knight and Elena Volobueva were able to end up winning the bracket after beating Sylwia Ziolkowska and Mariia Ilina of ETSU (8-1).
In the Doubles B bracket, Jewel Aldea and Gemma Halim took their team to the finals where they defeated Western Carolina (8-3) in the title game to take home the championship.
“This was a good start to the season,” said ETSU tennis coach Steve Brooks. “As a team we played really good.”
In the singles tournament A bracket, Ziolkowska and Knight both beat their opponents from Appalachian State to go to the finals match. However, both opted out of the championship match.
In the B bracket the Bucs were able to place first and third after Maria Nevarez of Tusculum College beat Ilina (7-5, 0-6, 7-0). Ilina then went to the consolation match where she beat Victoria Moody from ASU (6-3, 6-0) to place third.
Volobueva who advanced to the finals with a win over Moody then beat Nevarez (6-2, 6-1) to capture the championship in bracket B.
In the singles C bracket, Halim, advanced to the finals by winning her game against Nancie Gruber of Mars Hill College (6-4, 6-2).
In the championship match she faced ASU’s Frances Blanton. Halim defeated Blanton (6-1, 6-1) to win the C bracket.
Singles D bracket play had Aldea against Esther Mbugua from VI in the semi-finals. Aldea defeated Mbugua (7-6 (8), 6-2) to head into the finals. Cotton defeated Aldea (6-3, 6-2) in the championship match.

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