The Emory University women's tennis team got off to a superb start at the ITA South Regional Championships Friday in Rome, GA with 10 Eagles advancing to the round of 16 in singles and all five doubles teams moving on to the quarterfinals.
In singles, the Eagles dominated the top half of the main draw with six players advancing to the round of 16 on Saturday. Junior Sasha Hartje claimed wins to two matches while freshman Alexa Goetz, sophomore Jessica Fatemi, freshman Stephanie Shulman and juniors Defne Olcay and Stephanie Taylor all advanced following a first-round bye.
Hartje defeated Rhodes' Lea Letourneau 2-6, 6-3, 10-8 in the first round before besting NC Wesleyan's Jules Johnson via retirement with Hartje leading 6-2, 3-2. Goetz, Fatemi, Shulman, Olcay and Taylor all registered straight set victory with Goetz beating Sewanee's Lily Stephens 6-4, 6-0, Fatemi blanking Millsaps' Camille Fremaux 6-0, 6-0, Shulman posting a 6-1, 6-3 decision over Sewanee's Darby Duval, Olcay turning in a 6-2, 6-3 win over Sewanee's Lauren Wilson and Taylor dropping just two games in a 6-1, 6-1 win over Millsaps' Maggie Dabadie.
In the lower half of the main singles draw, Emory saw sophomores Lauren Yoon, Emma Cartledge, junior Katie Chang and sophomore Christina Watson join their Eagle counterparts in the round of 16 with match wins in straight sets. Yoon defeated Sewanee's Caroline Adams 6-3, 7-5, while Cartledge outlasted Millsaps' Grace Gaskins 6-2, 5-7, 11-9, Chang topped Millsaps' Marissa Brown 6-0, 6-3 and Watson got past Sewanee's Abbie Vaughn 6-0, 6-1.
In doubles competition, Goetz/Watson edged out Rhodes' Letourneau/Bennett 8-7 (2), Chang/Fatemi doubled up Millsaps' Dabadie/Fremaux 8-4, Taylor/Yoon breezed past Piedmont's Connelly/Waldheim 8-1, Hartje/Shulman defeating Berry's Ivey/Barker, 8-4, and Olcay/Cartledge topping Sewanee's Smith/Sprouse 8-7 (2) to move onto tomorrow's quaterfinal round.
Action from the Rome Tennis Center continues Saturday with the quarter- and semifinals of the doubles draw preceded by the round of 16 and quarterfinal play in singles. Play begins at 8:30 AM in Rome.