ETSU women’s tennis team faced a setback in their season opener against Kentucky, losing with a score of 5-2. Despite the teams overall defeat, senior Sofia Markova (Nuremberg, Germany) and senior Fernanda Carvajal (Queretaro, Mexico) secured victories in the top two singles slots for ETSU.

Additionally, the doubles match featured Carvajal and junior Daniela Rivera (Maturin, Venezuela) against Kentucky’s Makayla Mills and Elizabeth Stevens, who were ranked 36th in the nation, and were evenly matched at (4-4).

Doubles Competition:

  1. Carvajal / Rivera VS. Makayla Mills/ Elizabeth Stevens- (4-4) Unfinished
  2. Freshman Alessandra Caceres (Calama, Chile)/  Markova  VS. Lidia Gonzalez/ Ellie Eades- (6-2)
  3. Junior Ralista Alexandrova (Sofia, Bulgaria)/ Freshman Jana Rovira (Puigcerda, Spain) VS. Julia Zhu/ Zoe Hammond- (6-1)

Singles Competition:

  1. Senior Sofia Markova (Nuremberg, Germany) def. Elizabeth Stevens (Kentucky) – (6-2), (7-5)
  2. Senior Fernanda Carvjal (Queretaro, Mexico) def. Ellie Eades (Kentucky)- 7-6 (7-5), 4-6, 6-3
  3. Lidia Gonzalez (Kentucky) def. Junior Daniela Rivera (Maturin,Venezuela)- 6-1, 5-7, 6-3
  4. Zoe Hammond (Kentucky) def. Freshman Jana Rovira (Puigcerda, Spain)- 6-3, 2-6, 6-3
  5. Julia Zhu (Kentucky) def. Freshman Alessandra Caceres (Calama, Chile)- 6-2, 6-3
  6. Ellie Myers (Kentucky) def. Junior Ralista Alexandrova (Sofia, Bulgaria)- 7-5, 6-3

ETSU and Kentucky have met a total of 11 times over the years. The Bucs opened with the Wildcats in 2022, ETSU picked up a 4-3 win at Kentucky on March 23, 2010.

The ETSU fall campaign was a success, with all seven Buccaneer players maintaining records over .500. Freshman Alessandra Caceres  stood out with an impressive 12-1 record, with her only setback occurring at the ITA regionals in mid-October. Junior Ralista Alexandrova, senior Sofia Markova, and junior Daniela Rivera all performed amazingly well with records of 11-2, 9-2, and 9-3, respectively, during the fall season.

ETSU goes up against a non-conference matchup with the Clemson Tigers Jan. 19. First serve is set for 5 p.m.

For more information about ETSU women’s tennis, visit ETSUBucs.com.

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