WINGATE, N.C.- After day one of the Wingate Fall Invitational, it was Carson-Newman women's tennis being led by new faces to Mossy Creek. The Eagles will look to finish action tomorrow in Wingate, North Carolina.
In her first fall season as an Eagle, sophomore Julia Speiser made sure to make an immediate impact. She was placed in the women's "purple" draw as she saw Daniella Galeano in the first round of action. Speiser moved onto the next round with a 3-6, 6-0 (10-5) victory over Galeano. She then faced Lauren Laughton in the next round, with a spot in the women's "purple" draw East finals on the line.
Speiser continued her hot streak on Saturday as she is now in the East finals with a 6-2, 6-1 victory as she will now play Saga Berggren for the "purple" East finals on Sunday.
Freshman Maria Ulloa (Cuba) saw her first action for Carson-Newman as well on Saturday. Her first matchup was Yaritza Gonzalez as the freshman moved on with a 6-2, 6-2 win in the women's "orange" draw. Ulloa was then set to face Charisma Nuqui in the second round of action.
She was able to win in straight sets again with a 6-1, 6-0 result over Nuqui as Ulloa is now in the "orange" East finals on Sunday. She will face Elizabeth Vollmin for the East title.
Sophomore Summer Reeves (Maidstone, Kent, England) made her fall debut as an Eagle in the women's "red" draw as she did battle against Veronika Poliakova, but it was Poliakova taking the 6-1, 6-7 (5) (12-10) victory to start Saturday. The England native moved onto the women's "red" West draw against Tamara Macias, winning 6-0, 3-6 (10-7).
Fellow United Kingdom resident and junior teammate, Natasha Forrest (Jersey, United Kingdom), was selected in the women's "red" draw as well. Her first matchup was against Alex Lopez, with Lopez winning 7-6 (4), 6-2. The junior was then moved onto the women's "red" West draw and will see a familiar face in the West finals on Sunday.
After her opponent, Marie Bertran De Balanda, was listed as injured, it will be Forrest versus Reeves in the women's "red" draw West finals on Sunday.
Graduate student Hannah Price (Knoxville, Tenn.) started another year as an Eagle in the women's "green" draw. Her first matchup was Caitlin Klasseen, with Price taking the 7-5, 6-3 victory to move onto a matchup against Paola Socarras. When they squared off, Socarras defeated Price 7-6 (2), 7-6 (7). This moves Price into the women's "green" 3-4 playoff on Sunday against Vicky Beardsley.
Joining Ulloa in the women's "orange" draw was junior Anita Chornei (Kyiv, Ukraine) who was making her return to the courts for the Eagles. She was able to handle her first round opponent, Angelina Krieg, by a result of 6-2, 6-2. However, Chornei was then defeated by Elizabeth Vollmin with a 6-3, 4-6 (10-7) result.
Chornei now looks ahead to Sunday as she will compete in the women's "orange" 3-4 playoff against Charisma Nuqui.
Carson-Newman also saw some doubles action to start all action on Saturday. In the women's "blue" doubles draw, Hannah Price and Natasha Forrest were paired up against Aranyos and Hendricks. The duo for C-N advanced with a 7-5 result to set up a matchup with Gunfaus and Ciaccia in the second round on Sunday.
In the women's "red" doubles draw, Julia Speiser and Summer Reeves made another appearance together as a pairing. The sophomore duo defeated Macias and Drake in the first round with a 6-4 result. Now, the duo will compete on Sunday against Galeano and Socarras.
Finally, in the women's "green" doubles draw, Maria Ulloa and Anita Chornei saw their first collegiate action as a pairing. The pairing were unable to capture a win as their lone matchup against Berggren and Guidantoni finished 6-2 in favor of the opponents.
The Carson-Newman women's tennis team returns to finish the Wingate Fall Invitational on Sunday, Sept. 12 at 9 a.m. from Wingate, N.C.
Be sure to keep up with all things Carson-Newman women's tennis at cneagles.com and via all social media platforms.
