Thursday, October 21
Iowa City, Iowa
TBA
Southeast Missouri State University
vs
ITA Central Regional Championships
Photo by: Charlie Balcom
Redhawks Set to Compete at ITA Central Regional Championships
10/20/2021 4:45:00 PM | Women's Tennis
CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. – Southeast Missouri women's tennis is poised to compete at the ITA Division-I Women's Central Regional Championships Thursday through Monday, Oct. 25 at the Hawkeye Tennis Recreation Complex in Iowa City, Iowa.
Student-athletes from 27 different schools in the region, including SEMO, will be participating in the singles and doubles event. A total of 96 qualifiers will compete in the singles main draw.
SEMO last competed in the regional championship in October 2019. Romana Tarajova and Kseniya Zonova both defeated Power-Five schools to open up the Championship.
Tarajova bested Nikol Dobrilova of the Big Ten's Purdue, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, while Zonova overcame Kylie Duckworth of the Southeastern Conference's Tennessee, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, in the Main Singles Draw.
Vivian Lai and Teona Velkoska each tallied singles wins in the B Flight.
Lai, the top seed in the draw, beat Hannah Watton of Northern Kentucky, 7-6 (6), 6-1, after an opening round bye. Velkoska defeated Autumn Clark (Northern Kentucky) 6-3, 6-1 before falling to Maddox Bandy of Lipscomb, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The Redhawks most recently held a hidden dual match at the Redhawks Tennis Complex Oct. 10, 2021 against Saint Louis and UT Martin.
Romana Tarajova, Ksenia Shikanova and Lera Valeeva won the second, third and fifth singles flight championships, respectively. Tarajova also captured the second doubles flight championship with Teona Velkoska.
Tarajova defeated SLU's Elizabeth Mintusova 6-0, 6-1 before handling UTM's Jule Streif 6-3, 6-1 in the second flight.
Tarajova and Velkoska swept Jessica Stefan and Lizzie Barlow of Saint Louis, 6-0, in the morning's doubles match. The Redhawks duo then downed Lia Espinal and Mizuki Sakurai of UT Martin, 6-4, to claim the second doubles championship.
Shikanova got her first victory of the day over Jessica Stefan of SLU, 7-5, 6-2 in the third flight before cruising to a win over UTM's Espinal 6-2, 6-2 for the third flight championship.
Valeeva defeated Barlow (SLU), 6-3, 6-3 in the fifth singles flight and continued her winning ways as she defeated UTM's Mizuki Sakurai in a tough championship match 7-6, 2-6 and 10-6 for first place in the fifth flight.
Valeeva paces the Redhawks in 2021 with a 6-0 mark and has won two singles titles. Daniela Hlacikova is second on the team with a 4-1 mark.
Shikanova has chipped in a 4-2 mark this fall.
Myrsolava Zelenchuk (4-0), Valeeva, Tarajova and Shikanova, have all won singles flights during the fall season across the three competitions that the Redhawks have been apart of.
Zelenchuk captured the fifth singles flight championships at the UCA Invitational. Valeeva also won the seventh singles draw championship at the tournament.
SEMO next closes out its 2021 fall season at Murray State's Invitational Nov. 5-6 in Murray, Kentucky.
Student-athletes from 27 different schools in the region, including SEMO, will be participating in the singles and doubles event. A total of 96 qualifiers will compete in the singles main draw.
SEMO last competed in the regional championship in October 2019. Romana Tarajova and Kseniya Zonova both defeated Power-Five schools to open up the Championship.
Tarajova bested Nikol Dobrilova of the Big Ten's Purdue, 7-5, 3-6, 6-4, while Zonova overcame Kylie Duckworth of the Southeastern Conference's Tennessee, 7-5, 4-6, 6-1, in the Main Singles Draw.
Vivian Lai and Teona Velkoska each tallied singles wins in the B Flight.
Lai, the top seed in the draw, beat Hannah Watton of Northern Kentucky, 7-6 (6), 6-1, after an opening round bye. Velkoska defeated Autumn Clark (Northern Kentucky) 6-3, 6-1 before falling to Maddox Bandy of Lipscomb, 1-6, 7-5, 6-3.
The Redhawks most recently held a hidden dual match at the Redhawks Tennis Complex Oct. 10, 2021 against Saint Louis and UT Martin.
Romana Tarajova, Ksenia Shikanova and Lera Valeeva won the second, third and fifth singles flight championships, respectively. Tarajova also captured the second doubles flight championship with Teona Velkoska.
Tarajova defeated SLU's Elizabeth Mintusova 6-0, 6-1 before handling UTM's Jule Streif 6-3, 6-1 in the second flight.
Tarajova and Velkoska swept Jessica Stefan and Lizzie Barlow of Saint Louis, 6-0, in the morning's doubles match. The Redhawks duo then downed Lia Espinal and Mizuki Sakurai of UT Martin, 6-4, to claim the second doubles championship.
Shikanova got her first victory of the day over Jessica Stefan of SLU, 7-5, 6-2 in the third flight before cruising to a win over UTM's Espinal 6-2, 6-2 for the third flight championship.
Valeeva defeated Barlow (SLU), 6-3, 6-3 in the fifth singles flight and continued her winning ways as she defeated UTM's Mizuki Sakurai in a tough championship match 7-6, 2-6 and 10-6 for first place in the fifth flight.
Valeeva paces the Redhawks in 2021 with a 6-0 mark and has won two singles titles. Daniela Hlacikova is second on the team with a 4-1 mark.
Shikanova has chipped in a 4-2 mark this fall.
Myrsolava Zelenchuk (4-0), Valeeva, Tarajova and Shikanova, have all won singles flights during the fall season across the three competitions that the Redhawks have been apart of.
Zelenchuk captured the fifth singles flight championships at the UCA Invitational. Valeeva also won the seventh singles draw championship at the tournament.
SEMO next closes out its 2021 fall season at Murray State's Invitational Nov. 5-6 in Murray, Kentucky.
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Friday, June 26
Wednesday, November 12
Wednesday, February 07
Monday, August 01
