EDMOND, Okla. – The Arkansas Tech women's tennis team opened their 2024-25 season at the ITA Central Region Tournament this past weekend in Edmond, Okla. At the annual fall event, the Golden Suns were impressive all-around with 11 singles wins and seven doubles victories.
OFFICIAL RESULTS
On the singles side, both
Monica Balau and
Elis Gergel were the only Golden Suns in Main Draw A, but each lost their opening match, dropping them to the consolation bracket. In that draw, however, both excelled as each reached at least the quarterfinals.
Gergel would get there with a 6-4, 6-4 win over Washburn's Isabella Mortensson in the R32-Q round. Receiving a bye at the R32 round, Gergel then knocked off a second MIAA opponent in Emporia State's Giovanna Ferreria, 6-2, 6-2. Gergel's run through the consolation bracket then came to an end in the quarterfinals as she fell to Augustana's Chelsea Seidwitcz, 2-6, 5-7.
Balau's run in the consolation bracket would take her to the semifinals against Missouri Western's Maeva Samran Roguet before rain wiped out that match on Sunday. In getting to the semifinals, Balau won her R32-Q match against Southeastern Oklahoma's Amishi Shukla, 6-1, 6-1. Also receiving a bye in the R32 round, Balau then took down Emporia State's Lilie Bizouerne, 4-6, 6-2 [4]. In her quarterfinal match, Balau beat Henderson State's Jenna Bohnert, 6-4, 6-4.
In the singles Main Draw B, the Golden Suns won four of their five opening matches with
Meaghan Butler,
Maria Krite,
Natalya Montoya and
Kristyna Dvorakova all winning. Dvorakoa would go on to win two more matches in the main draw as she reached the quarterfinals against Washburn's Maddie Shelley.
In doubles action, the Golden Suns had a great deal of success in the B Draw as they won all three of their opening matches. The duo of Dvorakova and Gergel won their match due to injury withdraw by Harding's Sofia Zulim and Ece Boylu.
Maria Krite and
Natalya Montoya as well as the team of
Nabilah Dunn and
Meaghan Butler beat doubles teams from Ouachita Baptist to advance to the round of 16.
In that round, Krite and Montoya were the only team to win as they upended Emporia State's Paige Stranghoner and Lillie Bizouerne, 9-8 (6). Krite and Montoya would drop their quarterfinal match to Northwest Missouri's Miru Nonaka and Polina Gontaryk, 3-8.
Despite losing in the round of 16 in the Main Draw B, the doubles team of Dvorakova and Gergel landed in the consolation bracket as it was their first match actually played that they lost.
In the consolation bracket, Dvorakova and Gergel advanced to the finals on Sunday after beating Nebraska-Kearney's Merci Hood and Julia Wartecka, 8-1 in the round of 16. Dvorakova and Gergel would then advance through the quarterfinals and semifinals as their opponents retired due to 'personal circumstances'.
Unfortunately, rain washed out that final consolation match that would have seen the Golden Suns take on Missouri Western's Cristina Granero Boj and Celia Castano Malnero.
The Golden Suns will now prepare for the GAC Fall Invitational on October 18-19 in Searcy, Ark.
