Oct. 15, 2011

MEMPHIS, Tenn. -

USTA/ITA Regionals Draw

It was a busy day of tennis on Saturday as the singles and doubles main draws of the USTA/ITA Ohio Valley Regionals got underway at The Racquet Club. The Tigers went 10-3 overall with two doubles teams advancing to the doubles main draw quarterfinals and five players advancing in the singles main draw.

"We are off to a solid start so far, and I was happy for all the girls getting day one behind them," said Memphis head coach Lee Taylor Walker. "We had a few nerves at the beginning of doubles, but I think everyone is settled into the tournament now. Tomorrow I expect another strong performance from everyone."

Memphis' Mariya Slupska got the Tigers started in the singles main draw as the eighth-seeded senior scored an easy 6-2, 6-2 victory over Kentucky's Blajkevitch. Newcomers Tiffany Welcher and Alyssa Hibberd made the most of their first opportunity to play in front of the home crowd as Welcher defeated ETSU's Kedzo, 6-2, 7-5, and Hibberd took out Cincinnati's Witte, 6-3, 6-2.

Third-seeded Courtney Collins had the most impressive win of the day as she blanked IUPUI's Hullet, 6-0, 6-0, to move on in the draw. But it was sophomore Stefanie Mikesz who really had the Tiger fans roaring as she took on 10th-seeded Pleiman from Xavier and rallied for a 3-6, 7-6 (7), 6-4 victory. Kelly Gray and Andrea Arques-Garcia both dropped their singles matches and will now play in the back draw.

"Stefanie showed a lot of physical and mental toughness today in her come-from-behind win," said Walker. "I am very happy for her."

On the doubles side, two Tiger teams advanced to the main draw quarterfinals as the duos of Mikesz/Slupska and Hibberd/Welcher each won their first and second round matches. Mikesz and Slupska began the day taking out Wright State's Peresetsky and Lewis, 8-4, to set up a showdown with third-seeded Fellerhoff and Shine from Louisville. The match proved to be no contest as the Memphis team dominated from start to finish, winning 8-1 to advance to the quarters.

Hibberd and Welcher also took on a seeded team in the second round after dispatching UT Martin's Herbold and Van Zyl. Playing against fifth-seeded Vidal and Xepoleas of Purdue, Hibberd and Welcher got on top early and held on to win 8-6.

Memphis' third doubles team of Collins and Gray faced a tough test in Louisville's Velasquez and Harris. The pair battled to earn three match points but could not seal the deal, eventually falling 9-7. They then moved to the back draw and bounced back with an 8-6 win over Louisville's Miller and Brown.

Full results can be found by clicking HERE or by viewing the above PDF.

Sunday's action will begin with main and back draw doubles quarterfinals at 8 a.m. followed by the second round of main draw singles at 9:30 a.m. The first round of back draw singles will start at 11 a.m. while the main draw singles round of 16 is scheduled for 2 p.m. The day will conclude with the back draw doubles semifinals and the back draw singles round of 16 both slated for 3:30 p.m.