Women's Tennis Claims Top Singles, No. 3 Doubles Titles at MVC Individual Championships

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Competing in its first Missouri Valley Conference Individual Championships, the Belmont University women's tennis team claimed two titles Sunday at the Cooper Tennis Complex in Springfield, Missouri. The Bruins took MVC championships at the top singles flight and the No. 3 doubles flight as freshman Mariia Hlahola continued her outstanding start to her Belmont career and sophomore Anastasiya Zholdakova and graduate student Meredith Roberts completed their undefeated doubles weekend.
 
The duo of Zholdakova and Roberts cruised in the third doubles draw final, routing the University of Illinois Chicago's Zara Ryan and Cora-Lynn von Dungern 8-1 to put an exclamation point on their 3-0 tournament.
 
Hlahola captured the No. 1 singles bracket with her second consecutive straight-set victory, defeating host Missouri State's Diana Cabrera 6-2, 6-3 in the championship match.
 
In the No. 2 singles flight, Zholdakova earned fifth place after ousting Drake's Mille Hagensen 7-6 (3), 6-3. Meanwhile, sophomore Abi Solomon secured third place in the No. 3 singles flight with a three-set triumph over Murray State's Emma Honore. After winning the first set in dominant fashion, 6-1, Solomon rebounded from a 6-3 second set with a 6-3 third set to clinch the match.
 
Sophomore Viktoria Kliimand gritted out a competitive match to pick up fifth place in the No. 4 singles draw. After taking the first set, 7-1 in a breaker, against Bradley's Madalena Andrade, Kliimand bounced back from a 6-3 set two loss by winning the super tiebreaker 10-3.
 
Senior Taylor Trondson was barely edged out of fifth place in the No. 5 singles flight after taking a 7-5 opening set versus the Braves' Maria Bezmenova. The super tiebreaker was decided at 11-9 after Bezmenova won the second set, 6-3.
 
Roberts was unable to play her fifth-place match in the sixth singles draw.
 
Sunday's Results
 
Doubles
Anastasiya Zholdakova/Meredith Roberts (Belmont) def. Zara Ryan/Cora-Lynn von Dungern (UIC) 8-1
 
Singles
Mariia Hlahola (Belmont) def. Diana Cabrera (Missouri State) 6-2, 6-3
Anastasiya Zholdakova (Belmont) def. Mille Hagensen (Drake) 7-6 (3), 6-3
Abi Solomon (Belmont) def. Emma Honore (Murray State) 6-1, 3-6, 6-3
Viktoria Kliimand (Belmont) def. Madalena Andrade (Bradley) 7-6 (1), 3-6, 10-3
Maria Bezmenova (Bradley) def. Taylor Trondson (Belmont) 5-7, 6-3, 11-9
Silva Avakian (Missouri State) def. Meredith Roberts (Belmont) by default (injury)
 
Up Next
The Bruins continue their fall slate of tournaments next Wednesday-Monday, Oct. 19-24 at the ITA (Intercollegiate Tennis Association) Ohio Valley Regional Championships, which are being hosted by the University of Tennessee in Knoxville.
 
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