Women’s Tennis Wins Two Singles Matches on Day One of ITA Regionals

CINCINNATI, Ohio – On the opening day of the 2026 Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Ohio Valley Regional Championships in Cincinnati, Ohio, Thursday, the Belmont University women's tennis team earned a pair of qualifying singles victories. Both graduate Isabel Pacheco and junior Savannah Webster won their first-round qualifying matches and took their opponents to three sets in the second round.
 
Pacheco came two points from qualifying for the singles main draw but was edged 7-5 in a third-set tiebreaker by the University of Cincinnati's Tara Kurepa in Thursday afternoon's second round. In the first round of qualifying, Pacheco outlasted Vanderbilt's Julie Jirakova 6-2, 4-6, 6-3.
 
Webster bounced Dayton's Mallory Hitchcock 6-1, 7-5 in Thursday morning's qualifying first round, before being upended 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 by Indiana's Nicole Sifuentes in the second round.
 
Junior Jessica Popiol was also in action in Thursday's qualifying singles as she battled Louisville's Lika Peresypkina in a three-set affair, coming up just short, 6-4, in the third set.
 
The Bruins continue play at the ITA Regional Championships Friday with sophomore Emmi Kolyszko in the singles main draw. Doubles will also start Friday with Webster teaming up with Kolyszko and Popiol partnering with Pacheco.
 
Belmont's complete match scores from Thursday can be found below.
 
Thursday Results
 
Singles
Q-R64 - Isabel Pacheco (Belmont) def. Julie Jirakova (Vanderbilt), 6-2, 4-6, 6-3
Q-R64 - Savannah Webster (Belmont) def. Mallory Hitchcock (Dayton), 6-1, 7-5
Q-R64 - Lika Peresypkina (Louisville) def. Jessica Popiol (Belmont), 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
Q-R32 - Tara Kurepa (Cincinnati) def. Isabel Pacheco (Belmont), 6-3, 2-6, 7-6 (5)
Q-R32 - Nicole Sifuentes (Indiana) def. Savannah Webster (Belmont), 6-4, 3-6, 6-3
 
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