From Emory Unviversity Athletics
The Emory University Women's Tennis team got off to a strong start Friday afternoon on day one of the ITA Fall South Regional Championships presented by Oracle as seven Eagles advanced to the Round of 16 in the singles draw while three doubles pairings reached the quarterfinals.
In singles action, all five of the top seeds moved on to the Round of 16 by virtue of winning their second round match after receiving a bye in the first round. The overall no.-1 seed in the draw, junior Bridget Harding, blanked Belhaven's Ellen Scott 6-0, 6-0 as did the no.-2 seed, senior Michelle Satterfield, over Millsaps' Maggie Dabadie. Senior Katarina Su, the draw's no.3-seed, breezed past Sewanee's Mary Jane McCaghren 6-1, 6-0 while the no.-4 seed, sophomore Daniela Lopez, and the no.-5 seed, senior Paula Castro, also won in straight sets on Friday. Lopez defeated Centre's Abby Kent 6-1, 6-3 while Castro knocked out Oglethorpe's Hannah Dattilo 6-3, 6-1.
Joining them in the Round of 16 were freshmen Emma Perelman and Elaine Vernoff. Perelman defeated Rhodes' Natalie Arnold 6-2, 6-1 in the opening round before winning via walkover against Millsaps' Ashley Ford. Vernoff shutout Belhaven's Hannah Daly, 6-0, 6-0, in the first round before beating Sewanee's Haley Tucker 7-6 (4), 6-2 in the Round of 32.
Senior Melissa Goodman earned a first round victory as well on afternoon, winning 6-0, 6-0 over Covenant's Esther Eddy but fell to Birmingham-Southern's Carlee Petro 6-1, 6-2 in the second round. Senior Michelle DeMeo was unable to make it out of the first round as she was upended by Centre's Aliza Williams.
In the doubles draw, Harding and Su, the top overall seed, advanced to the quarterfinals after making quick work of Covenant's Esther Eddy and Aly Hall by a score of 8-1. Also moving on to the quarterfinals by a score of 8-1 was the pair of Satterfield and Lopez, the no.-2 seed in the draw, as the duo knocked out Oglethorpe's Shannon Cruz and Halley Sickling. Joining those two doubles teams in the quarterfinals on Saturday will be DeMeo and Perelman as they defeated Rhodes' Caroline Doherty and Anna Volkov 8-2.
The twosome of Goodman and Vernoff advanced to the Round of 16 in the doubles draw with a first round victory over Centre's Abby Kent and Williams, 8-5, before dropping their second round match to Oglethorpe's Dattilo and Caroline Johnson, 8-3.
Action of the ITA Fall South Regional Championships presented by Oracle continues tomorrow with the Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches in the singles competition followed by the quarterfinal and semifinal matches in the doubles draw. Play begins bright and early at 8:00 am.
Fans can follow the action on the tournament webpage which can be found here: http://tennislink.usta.com/Tournaments/TournamentHome/Tournament.aspx?T=194587#&&s=0. Results will be posted on the site periodically throughout the day.