BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- The Lady Topper tennis team took to the court this weekend in Winston-Salem, N.C., in the Wake Forest Invitational. The team notched a 10-8 record in singles while going for a 12-6 record in doubles play. WKU Tennis was able to earn notable wins over individuals from NC State, Wake Forest, Elon, Navy, and Davidson.
"Overall, it was a great tournament," said head coach Jonatan Berhane. "The girls competed very well in their matches."
The team's performance was highlighted by the play of sophomore Andreanna Christopoulou who earned two wins in singles, including a win over Tayla Stenta of NC State. Veterans Gabby Crofford and Maddy Phillips also walked away with two victories in singles play. After dropping her first match, Crofford defeated Diana Cotoros of West Virginia State and Courtney McCray of Davidson. Phillips also lost her first match, but went on to win two straight. She handed losses to Alisha Burton of UNC-Greensboro and Alexxus Morgan of North Carolina A&T.
In her collegiate tennis premiere, freshman Elpida Malamou started the tournament on a hot streak before retiring in her third match due to injury. She came out of the gate with a victory over Sarah Stein of Davidson. She then earned her second win over Maria Gomez of East Carolina. In the semi-finals of the D flight, Malamou retired only three games into the first set due to an injury.
Freshman Emilia Granstrom suffered a close loss in the first round of the A flight in singles, but bounced back in her next match to defeat Wake Forest player Xue Zhang in convincing fashion. Granstrom's next match was another tight one, with Isabel von Stryk of USC Upstate getting the win. This was the second time this fall that Granstrom faced von Stryk. The first match played during the Elon Invitational saw a Granstrom victory.
Tereza Hejlova won her first singles match of the tournament against Rozel Hernandez of Navy, but was not able to keep the momentum going into her next match against Erica Braschi of Elon. After the loss, Hejlova dropped down to the fifth-place bracket. She faced Macy Vonderschmidt of Charlotte and suffered another loss.
In doubles action, Granstrom and Christopoulou teamed up in the A flight. They took out von Stryk/Zoske of USC Upstate to start out the tournament. They next went up against Anane/Blythe of UNCG and earned another victory. The win advanced them to the semi-finals of the main draw where they faced Asch/Guerin of the host school, Wake Forest. After their hot start, Granstrom and Christopoulou were unable to continue and lost one match short of the finals. In the B flight, Malamou and Hejlova dropped their first match but bounced back and won their next two matches. Phillips and Crofford also lost their first match and won their next two matches.
"We need to keep the focus that we have had throughout the fall and bring our best game for Regionals that are coming up," commented Berhane. "This is our chance to play and compete against the best teams in the country."
The Lady Toppers next head to the ITA Ohio Valley Regionals to be played in Knoxville, Tenn., October 17-21.
For more information on WKU Tennis, visit WKUSports.com or follow via social media @WKUTennis on Twitter and on Facebook at facebook.com/WKUAthletics.
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