>> GEORGIA COLLEGE
The Georgia College & State University (GCSU) men's and women’s tennis teams opened play on Sept. 22, at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division II Southeast Regional Championship at the Palmetto Tennis Center in Sumter, SC.
The men’s team opened the championship with GCSU’s Jorge Robinson and Rodrigo Pérez Crespo falling 8-6 in the first round of doubles play to Catawba College's Paul Dekester and Sebastian Zabala. Meanwhile, GCSU's other men’s doubles team of Gabe Cizek and Luka Sauer Jimenez received a bye in the first round.
Georgia College dropped its four singles matches. Lincoln Memorial University's Alexander Giurea def. Robinson 6-4. 7-6 (2) and Carson-Newman University's Paul Gayk defeated Pérez Crespo 6-4, 6-2 in the first round. Tusculum University's Anton Krondell defeated Cizek 6-2, 7-6 (2) and Rens Verhaar from Tusculum downed Sauer Jimenez 6-3, 7-5 in the second round.
GCSU’s women's tennis team started the championship with doubles play. Lincoln Memorial University's Rosalie Carrier-Dulac and Adrianna Pellizzari defeated the Bobcat duo of Chiara Santoro and Ashley Bentz 8-6. GSCU's doubles team of Jada Young and Ashton Morrison, who are seeded eighth in the draw, received a bye in the first round.
All four GCSU women also were in the singles draw. Morrison dropped her first-round match 6-1, 6-3 to Wingate University's Claudia Vellejos.
However, Georgia College won each of its second-round matches.
Young, who was seeded eighth, defeated Natasha Forrest of Carson-Newman University in three sets. Young dropped the opening set 6-3 before claiming back-to-back 6-4 wins in sets two and three. Bentz and Santoro downed their opposition in straight sets, with Bentz beating Nellie Wahlberg of Lenoir-Rhyne University 7-5, 6-2, while Santoro claimed a 6-4, 6-4 decision over Francis Marion University's Chelsea Seidewitz.
The second day of regionals was postponed by a four-hour rain delay before GCSU's women duo of Morrison and Young, who were seeded eighth in the doubles draw, defeated Young Harris College's tandem of Emily Bush and Luciana Bejarno in the second round 8-4, but were eliminated in the third round by Anderson (S.C.) University's Alexandria Braithwaite and Valentina Bodra 8-5.
Young, who was seeded eighth in singles, and Santoro advanced to the fourth round in singles play. Young defeated Yelena Labat from Columbus State University 6-2, 7-6 (7), while Santoro won in straight sets 6-4, 6-4 over Newberry College's Margarita Roshka in the third round. Carson-Newman University's Leah McBride beat Bentz 6-3, 6-1 in the Bobcats' other third-round match.
For the GCSU men’s team, the second day began with Barton College's Hannes Tylehed and Guillem Busquets Brau defeating Cizek and Sauer Jimenez in the second round of doubles 8-3.
Cizek, Sauer Jimenez, and Robinson each won their respective consolation singles matches. Robinson and Suaer Jimenez both advanced in a walkover, while Cizek defeated the University of Mount Olive's Guilherme De Oliveira 7-5. 6-3. Rodrigo Pérez Crespo dropped his match in a three-set affair to Columbus State University's Andrea Sandrome. Sandrome won the opening set 6-3 before Pérez Crespo responded with a 6-3 win in set two; however, Sandrome won a super tiebreaker 10-8.
On the women’s side, Morrison dropped her consolation singles match against Lenoir-Rhyne University's Runa Muderrisoghi 6-3, 6-2.
The Bobcats had two female players, Young and Santoro, remaining in the fourth round of the singles draws. Both Young, who was seeded eighth, and Santoro dropped their round of 16 matches. Young lost 7-5, 6-4 to Tusculum University's Ylva Frafjord, while Santoro suffered a 6-3, 6-2 setback to No. 2 seed Eva Siska of Wingate University.
Bobcats’ tennis returns to action Oct. 6 in Macon at the Mercer Gridiron Classic.