MOBILE, Ala. – The 2023 NAIA Women's Tennis National Championship began Tuesday morning, and the No. 15-seeded Loyola Wolf Pack earned a spot in the second round with a 4-0 victory over No. 18 Holy Cross College (Ind.) at the Mobile Tennis Center.
The Wolf Pack's record now stands at 14-7 on the season, extending the team's program record for wins in a season. Loyola's women's tennis team is now 2-0 in opening round matches at the NAIA National Championship, as the team also got a win in their last appearance in 2019.
Loyola will now face the second overall seed and six-time defending champion Georgia Gwinnett. The match is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 a.m.
Doubles play has been a strength for the Pack all season, and Tuesday was no exception, as Loyola got wins on courts 1 and 3 to take the doubles point. Elly Carpenter and Adele Fereres got the first doubles win for the Pack, 6-4.
To close out doubles, Lucy Carpenter and Fatima Vasquez earned a 7-5 win over the No. 10-ranked pair in the NAIA, a team that they previously faced in the ITA Cup in the fall.
In singles, Avery Frierson got things started quickly for the Pack, only dropping one game in a 6-1, 6-0 result. Lucy Carpenter was soon to follow, ending her match with a 6-3, 6-1 win over the No. 19-ranked singles player in the NAIA to give the junior her team-leading 13th singles victory. The Wolf Pack finished off the sweep with Adele Fereres' 6-3, 6-2 win on court 4, improving her overall record to 11-3 this season.
"This is a great moment for our women. I'm really proud of them and their ability to shake off some nerves in the beginning of the match. This is a new experience for us, and we're really enjoying it. We know that we're a great tennis team, and we're still learning so much. They did an excellent job of settling in and proving that we belong in this tournament and that we're one of the better teams in the country. "
You can keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
Results
No. 15 Loyola – 4
No. 18 Holy Cross College – 0
Doubles
1. L. Carpenter/Vasquez (LOYNO) def. #10 Carvalho-Landell/Lopez (HCC) 7-5
2. #11 Beer-Savvides (HCC) def. Ponce/Frierson (LOYNO) 6-0
3. E. Carpenter/A. Fereres (LOYNO) def. Maillotte/Ruediger (HCC) 6-4
Order of finish: 2, 3, 1
Singles
1. Lucy Carpenter (LOYNO) def. #19 Victoria Savvides (HCC) 6-3, 6-1
2. Micaela Ponce (LOYNO) vs. #25 Kia Carvalho-Landell (HCC) 3-6, 3-5, unfinished
3. Fatima Vasquez (LOYNO) vs. #30 Helga Lopez (HCC) 6-4, 5-1, unfinished
4. Adele Fereres (LOYNO) def. Diane Maillotte (HCC) 6-3, 6-2
5. Elly Carpenter (LOYNO) vs. Anna Beer (HCC) 6-4, 1-4, unfinished
6. Avery Frierson (LOYNO) def. Clara Ruediger (HCC) 6-1, 6-0
Order of finish: 6, 1, 4
