Women's Tennis Off to Strong Start at MVC Individual Championships

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – In its first fall tournament of the 2022-23 season, the Belmont University women's tennis team posted multiple singles and doubles wins on day one of the 2022 Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championships at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Missouri. Competing in their inaugural MVC event, the Bruins earned singles match wins in five different flights and collected a pair of doubles victories.
 
The sophomore doubles duo of Abi Solomon and Viktoria Kliimand defeated Valparaiso's Demi Jhaveri and Elizabeth Sobieski in convincing fashion, 8-0, in the No. 2 doubles draw before bowing out to Drake's Darinka Stepan and Mille Hagensen in a tightly-contested super tiebreak (10-8). In the No. 3 doubles draw, sophomore Anastasiya Zholdakova and graduate student Meredith Roberts were impressive in their quarterfinal win. The tandem claimed an 8-1 victory over Illinois State's Nevena Kolarevic and Elena Jankulovska to advance to Saturday's semifinals where they will meet Murray State's Marit Kreugel and Annika Pschorr.
 
In singles action, freshman Mariia Hlahola picked up her first win donning Belmont's colors with a gritty three-set triumph at the top flight. Defeating the Racers' Pschorr 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the quarterfinals Friday, Hlahola will take on Illinois State's Tijana Zlatanovic Saturday in the semifinals of the No. 1 singles draw.
 
Solomon will also be playing in a semifinal singles match Saturday after dismissing the Bulldogs' Stepan in three sets. Taking the opening set 6-2, Solomon was barely edged in a second-set tiebreaker (7-5) before clinching the match 6-3 in the third. She faces the Redbirds' Kolarevic Saturday in the No. 3 singles draw.
 
Rebounding from a 6-3, 6-2 first-round loss at the No. 4 singles flight, Kliimand bested Northern Iowa's Thaissa Moreira in dominant fashion, 6-1, 6-2, to advance in the consolation bracket. She'll see the Beacons' Jhaveri once again Saturday, this time in a singles outing.
 
Both senior Taylor Trondson and Roberts were victorious in their first-round matches in the No. 5 and No. 6 singles draws, respectively. Trondson defeated the Panthers' Issa Sullivan 6-0, 6-3, while Roberts topped Bradley's Alex Hildreth 6-3, 6-2. After quarterfinal setbacks, they will compete in the back draws of their flights Saturday with Trondson facing Missouri State's Alyson Piskulic and Roberts taking on Valparaiso's Sobieski. Roberts nearly advanced to the No. 6 flight's semifinals but fell to the University of Illinois Chicago's Zara Ryan 7-5 in the third set.
 
At the second singles flight, Zholdakova will meet Murray State's Sarah Bureau Saturday in the consolation bracket. Sophomore Aly Getty will go up against the Braves' Juliana Martinez in the back draw of the No. 7 singles flight Saturday after narrowly dropping a 7-5, 7-6 (4) decision in the main draw.
 
Friday's Results
 
Doubles
Olivia Czerwonka/Moira Silva (Valparaiso) def. Mariia Hlahola/Taylor Trondson (Belmont) 8-5
Abi Solomon/Viktoria Kliimand (Belmont) def. Demi Jhaveri/Elizabeth Sobieski (Valparaiso) 8-0
Anastasiya Zholdakova/Meredith Roberts (Belmont) def. Nevena Kolarevic/Elena Jankulovska (Illinois State) 8-1
Darinka Stepan/Mille Hagensen (Drake) def. Abi Solomon/Viktoria Kliimand (Belmont) 8-7 (10-8)
 
Singles
Mariia Hlahola (Belmont) def. Annika Pschorr (Murray State) 2-6, 6-4, 6-4
Alexandra Abyasova (Illinois State) def. Anastasiya Zholdakova (Belmont) 2-6, 6-3, 6-0
Abi Solomon (Belmont) def. Darinka Stepan (Drake) 6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-3
Elizabete Klavinska (Drake) def. Viktoria Kliimand (Belmont) 6-3, 6-2
Taylor Trondson (Belmont) def. Issa Sullivan (UNI) 6-0, 6-3
Meredith Roberts (Belmont) def. Alex Hildreth (Bradley) 6-3, 6-2
Paola Campigotto (Murray State) def. Aly Getty (Belmont) 7-5, 7-6 (4)
Viktoria Kliimand (Belmont) def. Thaissa Moreira (UNI) 6-1, 6-2
Silvia Pomarolli (Illinois State) def. Taylor Trondson (Belmont) 6-2, 6-3
Zara Ryan (UIC) def. Meredith Roberts (Belmont) 4-6, 6-2, 7-5
 
Follow Belmont women's tennis on social media – @BelmontWTennis on Twitter and @belmontwtennis on Instagram – for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont's athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.