Mia Jones Captures No. 3 Singles Flight at Redbird Invitational Sunday

NORMAL, Ill. – Freshman Mia Jones won the No. 3 singles flight Sunday at Illinois State's Redbird Invitational as the Belmont University women's tennis team closed out its three-day weekend at the Gregory Street Tennis Courts in Normal, Illinois. The Bruins claimed a total of four singles matches on the final day of the tournament highlighted by Jones' performance.
 
A native of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, Jones gave up only four games in a convincing, 6-1, 6-3 win over Drake's Jordane Dookie in the third singles flight final.
 
In the consolation bracket final at the top singles flight, redshirt freshman Savannah Webster defeated Bradley's Valeriia Ivanovskaia in straight sets, 6-1, 6-2.
 
Both sophomore Jessica Popiol and freshman Ketevan Jeladze took third place in the No. 2 singles and No. 5 singles flights, respectively, as Popiol won by walkover and Jeladze's opponent retired just seven games in.
 
Junior Emma Grant nearly won her consolation bracket final in the No. 7 singles flight but was edged 11-9 by Murray State's Molly Null in a third-set super tiebreaker.
 
Reaching the doubles finals in the top two flights, Belmont forced tiebreakers in both matches but was unable to convert either. The tandem of Webster and Popiol was narrowly defeated 7-5 in the top doubles flight final by the Racers' Varvara Alexeyeva and Barbora Hermanova, while Jones and graduate Cielo Tapia-Cruz dropped a 7-4 tiebreaker to Illinois State's Nuria Sanz and Emma Lindh in the No. 2 doubles flight final.
 
The Bruins' complete match scores from Sunday's action can be found below.
 
Redbird Invitational – Sunday Results
 
Doubles
Flight #1 F - Varvara Alexeyeva/Barbora Hermanova (Murray State) def. Savannah Webster/Jessica Popiol (Belmont), 8-7 (5)
Flight #2 F - Nuria Sanz/Emma Lindh (Illinois State) def. Mia Jones/Cielo Tapia-Cruz (Belmont), 8-7 (4)
Flight #3 3rd Place - Yu Kikawa/Yuna Kadowaki (Murray State) def. Ketevan Jeladze/Libbie Hamilton (Belmont), 8-3
 
Singles
Flight #1 CF - Savannah Webster (Belmont) def. Valeriia Ivanovskaia (Bradley), 6-1, 6-2
Flight #2 3rd Place - Jessica Popiol (Belmont) def. Marta Halbersztadt (UIC), walkover
Flight #3 F - Mia Jones (Belmont) def. Jordane Dookie (Drake), 6-1, 6-3
Flight #4 F - Yu Kikawa (Murray State) def. Cielo Tapia-Cruz (Belmont), 6-3, 6-4
Flight #5 3rd Place - Ketevan Jeladze (Belmont) def. Bruna Melato (Murray State), 4-3, retired
Flight #6 - Rebecca Widan (Murray State) def. Libbie Hamilton (Belmont), 6-4, 6-0
Flight #7 CF - Molly Null (Murray State) def. Emma Grant (Belmont), 6-4, 4-6, 11-9
Flight #7 - Nicole Iosio (Illinois State) def. Annika Warkentin (Belmont), 6-2, retired
 
Up Next
Belmont returns to play in the Music City next weekend with the Bruins heading down Belmont Boulevard to Lipscomb's Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center for the Bisons' Lipscomb Hidden Dual, held Friday-Sunday.
 
How to Follow
Follow Belmont women's tennis on social media – @BelmontWTennis on X, formerly Twitter, @belmontwtennis on Instagram and Belmont Women's Tennis on Facebook – 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.