The quarterfinals of the singles competition and the first three rounds of the doubles competition at the Women’s ITA Midwest Tennis Regional were held on Saturday in St. Peter at Gustavus Adolphus College.
In the quarterfinal round of singles play, three Gustavus players posted wins to advance to Sunday’s semifinals. Unseeded Marla Menne upset top-seeded Sarah Russell (Carleton) 3-6, 6-4, 7-6 (2). Second-seeded Lauren Hom knocked off Amanda Santa Romana (Carleton) 6-1, 6-1. Fourth-seeded Lyndsey Palen defeated sixth-seeded Kelly Mikkila (Carthage) 5-7, 6-4, 6-1. The lone non-Gustavus player to reach the semifinal round was fifth-seeded Christin Tiegs (St. Benedict) who beat ninth-seeded Elizabeth Maclellan 5-7, 6-6, retired.
The Gusties had two doubles teams advance to Sunday’s semifinals. The duo of Jaime Gaard and Mikaela Schmitt posted wins over tandems from UW-Oshkosh, Wheaton, and Carthage to get to the semifinal round. They will face the Carleton duo of Sarah Russell and Amanda Santa Romana who defeated teams from Luther, St. Scholastica, and Carthage.
On the other half of the doubles bracket, Gusties Lauren Hom and Kara Smiley teamed up to beat doubles teams from St. Scholastica, Carthage, and UW-Eau Claire to reach Sunday’s semifinal round. They will face the St. Benedict tandem of Megan Fitzgerald and Christin Teigs who defeated doubles teams from St. Olaf, Luther, and St. Catherine.
The singles semifinals will start at 9:00 am on Sunday. The doubles semifinals will start at approximately 11:00 am, followed by the finals of singles and doubles.
The ITA Midwest Region Championships are one of eight regional tournaments for Division III women taking place across the country over the next two weeks. The singles and doubles champions from these regional tournaments will advance to the ITA National Small College Championships, presented by the USTA, Oct. 16-19 in Corpus Christi, Texas.