DURHAM/CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The North Carolina Central University women's tennis team concluded a busy weekend after hosting the NCCU Invitational and competing at the ITA Carolina Regional Championships at the Chewning Tennis Center. Senior Kennedy Hill was also recognized on Saturday for Fall Senior Day.
The ITA Carolina Regionals would begin Thursday morning with junior Valeria San Miguel Soria paired up to play Marissa Pennings of Furman University. San Miguel Soria was defeated 6-3, 7-5. Later that day, San Miguel Soria dropped a pair of 6-0 sets to Taya Powell of Appalachian State University.
Freshman Mariana Zottoli pushed her opening match at ITA on Thursday to three sets. She lost a tough one to Arili Boshoff of Gardner-Webb University 6-3, 1-6. 6-3. Zottoli's next match was against Amila Jusufbegovic of Charleston Southern University where she fell 6-4, 6-3.
Zottoli and San Miguel Soria teamed up for doubles as well. UNC-Chapel Hill's Lindsay Zink and Alana Boyce would defeat the Eagle duo 8-2.
On Friday, junior Alejandra Hidalgo Vega played in the main draw facing Krystal Blanch of Wake Forest University. Hidalgo Vega would fall 6-0, 6-3 moving to the consolation bracket later that evening against Clemson University's Gaia Parravicini dropping a 6-2, 6-3 match.
The NCCU Invitational began on Friday, Oct. 18 with freshman Gabriela Mejia Arenas and sophomore Patricia Palencia representing the Eagles. Other schools that arrived in Durham were UNC Wilmington, Davidson College, Coastal Carolina University and Hampton University.
Mejia Arenas competed against Sara Clark of Coastal Carolina on Friday. Clark came out on top 6-0, 6-2. Palencia advanced to Saturday's quarterfinal after defeating Masa Mitic of Hampton 6-2, 6-3. She fell 6-4, 7-5 to Lilly Dwyer of Davidson missing a chance to move on to the semifinals.
The duo teamed up for the doubles flight as well on Saturday, winning their opening match 6-3 over Dwyer and Linden Patterson of Davidson before falling in the quarterfinals.
UNC Wilmington's Elif Albayrak and Stela Joksimovic won the doubles flight and Aida Mitrache of Coastal Carolina won the singles A flight.
Hill was recognized for her achievements as an NC Central student-athlete on the women's tennis team in between matches on Saturday with her family by her side. The Tyrone, Ga. native will be graduating a semester early with 22 singles victories as an Eagle.
The Eagles wrap up the fall season at the UNCW Seahawk Ocean Classic in Wilmington, N.C. on Nov. 1-3.
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