Women’s Tennis Competes at Methodist Invitational
Ward reaches final in flight seven, showcasing a promising future ahead
Courtesy of Angel Maldonado, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
FAYETTEVILLE, N.C. – The Guilford College women’s tennis team traveled to the Gene Clayton Tennis Center on Friday to compete in the Monarch Women’s Fall Collegiate Invitational hosted by Methodist University, continuing their fall slate of competition.
Guilford was one of four division three teams competing in the competition. Amongst those teams were Sweet Briar College, Averett University, and Methodist University.
Two division two teams participated in the competition, Barton College and the University of Mount Olive.
Guilford competed in a total of 18 singles and seven doubles contests throughout the weekend. Seeing eight Quakers competing in the east portion of the bracket, six in the west, and four in the south. Ashley Belnap (Winston-Salem, N.C.), Erika Mendez, Jolie Nhouyvanisvong (Greensboro, N.C), Amy Soto Salgado, Chandler Sizemore (Sandy Ridge, N.C), and LaNiya Ward (Pittsburgh, PA) all saw action in the east portion of the bracket.
Bethany Lupo (Tabor City, N.C), Belnap, Mendez, Nhouyvanisvong, Soto, and Sizemore competed in the west portion of the competition.
Belnap, Mendez, Nhouyvanisvong, Sizemore and Soto saw action in the south portion of the bracket.
Ward had a great showing in flight seven, earning a quarterfinal’s victory versus Sweet Briar’s Ari Cope, with a score of (6-3, 7-5). In the following day of competition, Ward continued her strong performance, securing her second win of the tournament against Methodist’s Madelyn Parker by a tally of (6-3, 6-4) advancing to the flight seven finals. Unfortunately, Ward dropped the final matchup to Mount Olive’s Courtney Howell by a score of (6-1, 6-3).
This tournament wraps up the fall season for the Quakers. The women’s tennis returns to action on Saturday, February 15, as they host Piedmont University. Start time is set for 3:00 P.M.
#GoQuakes
Men’s Tennis has Promising Day at Knapp Family Invitational
Quakers end fall season on a high note
from Angel Maldonado, Athletic Communications Graduate Assistant
MISENHEIMER, N.C. – The Guilford College men’s tennis team ventured to Knapp Tennis Center on Saturday to compete in the Knapp Family Invitational, hosted by Pfeiffer University.
Guilford saw action in nine singles and six doubles contests throughout the day. Andres Mercedes (Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic) competed in flight A, Brandon Hermes (West Hartford, Conn.) competed in flight B, Henry Austin (Winterville, N.C.) in flight C, Evan Wong (Greensboro, N.C.) participated in flight D, Rylan Tuten (Asheville, N.C.) in flight E, Emmanuel Oye (Clayton, N.C.) played in flight F, Turner Johnson (Oak Ridge, N.C.) in flight G, and Kade Talton (Pilot Mountain, N.C.) competed in flight H.
Austin secured an easy win in the semifinals of flight C against Johnson & Wales’ Hugo Cossais by a tally of 6-1, 6-2 to advance to the finals. Austin fought hard in the first set of the finals, but ultimately fell in the second set against Pfeiffer’s Mathius Dessureau by a score of 7-5, 6-0.
Oye had a strong showing on the day, winning his flight in style. He started off with a “walk in the park”, capturing an early lead in the first set, 6-2, against Pfeiffer’s Laurin Rauer, and finishing off with a win in the second set, 6-1, to advance to the finals. In the finals, Oye continued to assert his dominance with a 6-3 win in the first set and a 7-5 win in the second set against Lukas Rathgeb of Randolph College.
In flight H, Talton had a promising showing, securing a win against Randolph’s Nate Quisbert by a tally of 6-2 in the first set and 6-4 in the second set, advancing to the finals. Unfortunately, Talton fell in a nail biter of a matchup against Goncalo Olivera of Pfeiffer University. Set one ended with a score of 7-5, followed by a score of 6-4 in the second set.
The doubles competition showed many positives for the Quakers, as two flights were secured with a pair of sweeps. In the first flight, the duo of Hermes and Mercedes was unstoppable, as their first matchup showed no signs of struggle; they steam rolled Pfeiffer’s Dessureau and Benedikt by a tally of 6-1 advancing to the finals. Hermes and Mercedes sent the competition home, securing a win versus Jacob Martin and Jaylon Salters of Johnson and Wales by a score of 6-3.
Flight two saw Wong and Tuten take over, as they secured the flight. The first match had Wong and Tuten facing JWU’s Dylan Hight and Sam Cicciarello, securing a win by a tally of 6-2. Wong and Tuten got the job done in the finals against Bogdan Stan and Laurin Rauer of Pfeiffer University, by a tally of 6-2.
This tournament wraps up the fall season for the Quakers. The men’s tennis team returns to action on Thursday, February 6, as they host Belmont Abbey College. Start time is yet to be determined.
#GoQuakes