Creighton Women's Tennis Shines at Augustana Invite

The Creighton women's tennis team kicked off their 2024 fall season with an impressive showing at the Augustana Invite in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Bluejays dominated the competition, with six players advancing to the singles main draw finals and the team recording 15 singles wins and three doubles victories on the opening day of the tournament.

Creighton Bluejays Dominate the Augustana Invite

Doubles Dominance

The Creighton women's tennis team started the day strong in doubles play. The pair of Valerie Negin and Bianca Rademacher advanced to the No. 1 Doubles Main Draw Semifinals with an 8-4 victory over Minnesota State-Mankato's Freia Lawrence and Avery Stilwell. Freshmen duo Karli Vo and Olivia Minikel also picked up their first collegiate win, defeating Augustana's Chelse Seidewitz and Smilte Bakyte 8-6 to advance to the No. 2 Doubles Draw Semifinals. Alem Cote and Elsa Jurrens teamed up for an 8-4 win in the No. 3 Doubles Draw against MSU-Mankato's Brynn Psooy and Hana Minisy.

Dominant Singles Performances

The Bluejays' success continued in singles play, with six different players advancing to the finals of their respective draws. Rademacher cruised to the No. 1 Singles Main Draw Finals, capturing straight-set victories over North Dakota's Andrea Pineda and Omaha's Zoe Adkins. Junior Ana Paula Martinez also advanced to the finals in the No. 2 Singles Main Draw, defeating Sioux Falls' Chloe Siegfort in straight sets before topping North Dakota's Nore Heinitz in a three-set thriller.Freshman Philippa Roy dominated her matches in the No. 3 Singles Main Draw, securing wins over Winona State's Lainy Ristau and Sioux Falls' Sofiya Janos to reach the title match. At the No. 4 Singles Main Draw, Minikel picked up a pair of three-set victories over Augustana's Martina Sofia Sfilio and Winona State's Skylar Gary to advance to the finals.In the No. 6 Singles Main Draw, Vo and Jurrens each advanced to the finals, setting up an all-Creighton championship match. Vo cruised past USF's Sydney Osburn and North Dakota's Manon Hallemans, while Jurrens had a tougher road, claiming straight-set and three-set wins over Winona State's Elysia Beynon and UND's Alyssa Giupponi, respectively.

Consolation Finalists

While not all Creighton players advanced to the main draw finals, several still found success in the consolation brackets. Negin, Cote, and Annika Elvestrom each dropped their first singles match but advanced to the consolation finals of their respective draws. Negin and Elvestom advanced by default, while Cote defeated MSU-Mankato's McKenna DeMarce in straight sets to secure her spot in the consolation final.

Looking Ahead

The Creighton women's tennis team will look to continue their strong performance on the second day of the Augustana Invite. Head coach Tom Lilly was pleased with the team's effort, stating, "We had a good start to the fall season. Ten hours at the tennis courts can wear on anyone, but we finished strong and are looking forward to competing hard tomorrow."The Bluejays will aim to build on their impressive opening day and capture even more titles as they conclude their weekend trip to South Dakota.