The East Central Community College Lady Warrior Tennis Team had a great showing at the NJCAA DI Tennis Championship in Tyler, Texas. The event was hosted by Collin College at the Joann Medlock Murphy Tennis Center. The Lady Warriors finished the event with 8.5 total points, which landed the team tied for 19th in the 29-team field.
In doubles play, ECCC's Maud Tsaura and Camila Vanegas teamed up at No. 1 and grabbed an early win over Moraine Valley's Hannah Markiewicz and Izabella Slezakova, 6-0, 6-0. The Lady Warriors fell in the next round to Seward County's Camille Belberka and Carol Mora, 6-1, 6-2. Ava Espey and Maggie Bounds played at No. 2 doubles and dropped a match to Central Alabama's Emma Grace Mcelwain and Lily Truchet, 6-1, 6-1. The duo went on to defeat Mercer County's Gwen Guidice and Victoria Woodruff in the consolation bracket, 8-4 before falling to Makenna Schaffner and Emma Semry 8-3 in the semi-finals. Ivey Bruntlett and Katelyn Wall played in the No. 3 slot for the Lady Warriors. The team fell to Eastern Florida State's Lucia Lucas Martinez and Paige Noble Lucas, 6-1, 6-0, before dropping a match 8-0 to USC Sumter's Camila Flores and Abby Kelly.
In singles, Tsauar played No. 1 and dropped a match to St. Petersburg College's Isabela Mercante, 6-0, 6-1 in the opening round. In consolation play, Tsaura got wins over Zarina Sayed, 8-0, and Alethea Lacroix, 8-6. Vanegas filled the No. 2 line for ECCC in singles and dropped her opening match to Collin College's Viktoriia Federova, 6-0, 6-0. In the consolation bracket, Vanegas got wins over Sydney Cohen, 8-4, but fell to Simona Tomczak in a tightly contested, 9-8 (5), match.
Bounds played No. 3 for ECCC and dropped a match to Hannah Markiewicz of Moraine Valley in the opening round, 6-3, 6-2. In the consolation bracket, Bounds fell to Yazmin Barrios, 8-0. Anna Elmore played in the No. 4 singles slot for the Lady Warriors and defeated Mesa's Laysha Gomez in a grueling, 2-6, 7-6(6), 6-1 match. Elmore fell to the No. 1 seeded, Alicia Gomez of Hillsborough in the next round, 6-0, 6-0.
At No. 5 singles, Bruntlett was in action. She fell to State College of Florida's Elena Baughman Saunders, 6-0, 6-0, but got a win in the consolation bracket over Catherine Gerl, 8-3. She ultimately fell to Makenna Schaffner in the consolation semi-finals, 8-2.
Espey rounded out the Lady Warriors singles lineup at No. 6 and fell to Moraine Valley's Reagan Cameron 6-4, 6-3 in the opening match. Espey went on to defeat Jefflyn Deloach in consolation play, 8-1, before also advancing to the consolation semi-finals where she dropped an 8-1 match to Lilly Brown.
Team Results as of May 10th:
1. Hillsborough - 41
1. Cowley - 41
3. Tyler - 37
4. St. Petersburg - 30
5. ABAC - 26
6. Collin - 25
6. Seward - 25
8. Barton - 24
9. State College of Florida - 20
10. Eastern Florida - 19.5
11. USC Sumter - 17
12. Jones - 15
12. Mississippi Gulf Coast - 15
14. Wallace St. - 14.5
15. Weatherford - 13
16. Coastal Alabama - 10.5
17. Iowa Central - 10
18. Meridian - 9
19. Central Alabama - 8.5
20. East Central - 8.5
21. Moraine Valley - 8
22. Eastern Arizona - 7.5
23. Lewis & Clark - 7
23. Mesa - 7
25. Mercer - 3.5
26. Sauk Valley - 1
27. Lake County - 0.5
28. Jacksonville - 0
29. Oakton - 0