ORLANDO, Fla. – Members of the UCF women's tennis team participated in the ITA National Fall Championships this weekend, their first tournament of the fall season. Rebeka Stolmar and Nandini Sharma made quarterfinal runs but could not get any further. Two other Knights made their fall debuts in the back draw of the tournament.
The ITA National Fall Championships were played at the USTA National Campus, giving the Knights home court advantage throughout the tournament.
DAY ONE
Stolmar and Sharma picked up victories in the opening round of 32 on Thursday. After winning a tight first set, Stolmar went on to defeat NC State's Lexi Keberle 7-6(4), 6-2. Sharma also picked up a straight set win on the tournament's first day, topping Pacific's Klara Kosan 6-4, 6-3.
DAY TWO
Stolmar and Sharma had busy days on Friday, each playing a double header in the main draw.
Stolmar's day began with a 6-2, 6-4 victory over the tournament's No. 8 seed Holly Hutchinson of Old Dominion. The win in the round of 16 advanced Stolmar to the quarterfinals, where she matched up with the tournament's top seeed and the nation's top singles player in Pepperdine's Ashley Lahey. Stolmar gave her all she could handle, but in the end Lahey edged out a 7-5, 7-6(4) victory, knocking Stolmar out of the main draw.
Sharma picked up an impressive win over the tournament's No. 5 seeded Alana Smith of NC State in a three-set thriller. After dropping the first set, Sharma came back to win 4-6, 6-4, 7-6(2). Sharma was eliminated from the tournament in the quarterfinals, falling to the No. 4 seed Abigail Forbes of UCLA 6-0, 6-2.
Valeriya Zeleva made her fall debut on day two, seeing action in the tournament's back draw. She won a hard-fought battle against Emory's Ysabel Gonzalez-Rico by a count of 3-6, 6-4, 6-1.
DAY THREE
Zeleva endured another three-set battle on Saturday, falling to Missouri's Bronte Murgett 6-2, 6-7(5), 6-4.
Jaleesa Leslie made her collegiate debut, facing NC State's Abigail Rencheli in the back draw. Leslie came up short in the contest, falling 6-1, 6-1.
UP NEXT
Members of the UCF women's tennis team will participate in the week-long ITA/USTA National Campus Open beginning on Tuesday.
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