BOWLING GREEN, Ky. — WKU Lady Topper tennis traveled to Elon, N.C. over the weekend and competed in an 11-team tournament bringing home one title. The team as a whole went 13-12 in the tournament, including a 9-7 record in singles and 4-5 record in doubles.
WKU's trip to Elon was highlighted by the remarkable performance by freshman Emilia Granstrom, who went 4-0 in singles and 3-0 in doubles alongside partner Andreanna Christopoulou. Granstrom defeated players from NCCU, Radford, and USC Upstate. She was set to take on Lyn Yee Choo in the championship game of the A-1 Singles Flight, but the match was unable to be finished due to rain delay. Granstrom and Chirstopoulou defeated duos from Wake Forest, ETSU, and Liberty to take home the A-1 Doubles Flight title.
"Overall, the girls did very well considering four girls played in their first collegiate tournament," commented first-year head coach Jonatan Berhane. "I am very proud of them and I think each player will keep improving with every tournament."
Andreanna Christopoulou dropped a close first match against Stephanie Falcon of UNCG with a score of 2-6, 6-3, 6-10. She bounced back and won her next two matches against competition from Radford and UNCA. She was slated to face Ioanna Markensini in the finals of the consolation bracket but that match was also rained out.
Emily Przystawski and Cassie Pennington were both able to advance to the semifinals of their bracket before dropping their first match. Przystawski won her first match by default and drew a bye in her second match. She faced Brittany Yang (Liberty) in the semifinals but lost in a tight match taking three sets to determine the winner. Pennington defeated her first opponent, Alisha Burton (UNCG), by a score of 6-1, 6-2. She also fell in a close match against Lauren Mabe (6-3, 7-5). In doubles, Emily and Cassie lost their first and second matches, but rebounded to win their third match to claim a 7th-place finish in their flight.
Maddy Phillips and Tereza Hejlova faced tough competition all weekend. Phillips lost a tight first match that went into a third set. She also lost her second match. Hejlova faced a solid competitor against Lyn Yee Choo in her first collegiate tennis match. After losing her first match, she took on Aissa Muamba from NCCU, dropping that match as well. Phillips and Hejlova teamed up in doubles, but went 0-3 in the bracket.
The Lady Toppers head to Amelia Island, Fla. to compete in the $10,000 Amelia Island Tournament this weekend.
