EVANSVILLE, Ind. - - The Belmont women's tennis team fell to the SEMO RedHawks 4-0 to end their 2021-2022 season with a 13-8 record.
Southeast Missouri State got rolling early with the two-court win in doubles to secure point one.
After the wins, the second seeded Redhawks utilized the skill of their lower third assignments to take away the match.
Belmont managed to earn set one wins on courts one, three, and five. Those wins belonged to freshman phenom Gina Feistel, senior Peyton Lee, and freshman Nastya Zholdakova.
Alas, SEMO picked up two-set triumphs on courts four and six before grinding out a three-set finish on five against Lee to end her time with the Bruins.
Belmont Director of Tennis Mauricio Antun has this to say after the final match of the season for the Belmont women's team.
"So proud of the girls' effort today," Antun said. "They left it all out on the court and even though the score was 4-0, I felt like we were a few points away from turning the match around."
Despite the sting of this defeat, Antun understood the magnitude of this season for the future of the program.
"I am most proud of how the entire season developed as they achieved some milestones that will stay with the program forever," Antun stated.
Finally, Antun wanted to thank the seniors who helped set this program up for future success as the team moves on from the OVC.
"I want to thank our seniors Somer [Henry], Peyton [Lee], and Lauren [Carelli] for their hard work, determination, and competitiveness both on and off the court as they graduate from Belmont," Antun said. "They were a big part of the turnaround that we had as a team and I cannot express my gratitude enough for the three of them. I know they will do great things outside of tennis and I wish them nothing but the best in their future lives."
The loss puts one final page in the careers of the three seniors. Henry exits as the first Bruin to make the All-OVC First Team in 2021 amid three season of play after she transferred closer to home following her freshman season at Indiana University.
Meanwhile, Lee and Carelli finished their four years of service to the Bruins program.
Lee finished second in wins three times and tied for the team lead with six solo wins in 2021. In all, Lee ended her career with 42 wins. That leaves her in seventh place all-time between Bruins all-timers Terra Sheldon (43), Abby Leatherwood (41), and Linda Johansson. Congrats to her for one fine career.
Carelli spent most of her senior year in reserves but made the most of her opportunity once April rolled around. After senior Meredith Roberts injured her wrist in the UTM home match, Carelli stepped up in both singles and doubles play. The Chattanooga, Tennessee native was able to win a key point that tied the Belmont road trip to SIUE at three and set up Zholdakova's match winner. In doubles alongside Feistel, the pair did not lose any of their matches on pairing number one and looked on their way to their fourth win together in today's semifinal loss.
Overall, Belmont's 13 wins is the third-most all-time in the program's 25-year history. This spring trails the 2003-2004 team that won 15 matches and the 2001-2002 team that took home 14 victories under longtime women's head coach Mark Srouji.
It may not be the end result that the team longed for, but the journey was still as sweet as a Georgia peach.
DOUBLES
1. Romana Tarajova/Ksenia Shikanova (SEMO) vs. Gina Feistel/Lauren Carelli (BEL) 4-5, unfinished
2. Daniela Hlacikova/Teona Velkoska (SEMO) def. Somer Henry/Peyton Lee (BEL) 6-3
3. Myroslava Zelenchuk/Vivian Lai (SEMO) def. Nastya Zholdakova/Taylor Trondson (BEL) 6-3
SINGLES
1. Romana Tarajova (SEMO) vs. Gina Feistel (BEL) 1-6, 6-1, unfinished
2. Daniela Hlacikova (SEMO) vs. Somer Henry (BEL) 6-3, 4-6, unfinished
3. Ksenia Shikanova (SEMO) vs. Nastya Zholdakova (BEL) 4-6, 6-3, unfinished
4. Myroslava Zelenchuk (SEMO) def. Abi Solomon (BEL) 6-4, 6-1
5. Vivian Lai (SEMO) def. Peyton Lee (BEL) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1
6. Teona Velkoska (SEMO) def. Lauren Carelli (BEL) 6-3, 6-2
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