Gusties Dominate Day One of Gustavus Fall Invite

The Gustavus women's tennis team kicked off its fall season with a strong performance at the annual Gustavus Fall Invite, held in Saint Peter, Minnesota. The tournament featured athletes from various NCAA Division II and III schools, and the Gusties emerged as the standout performers on the opening day.

Gusties Showcase Depth and Talent in Singles and Doubles Play

Impressive Singles Victories

The Gusties showcased their depth and talent in singles play, with an impressive 21 out of 22 first-round victories. Standout performances came from Karina Elvestrom, Molly Austin, and Kaya De Bruijn, who faced off against their opponents' top players. Elvestrom, a first-year student making her collegiate tournament debut, defeated Luzmary Diaz of Moorhead 6-1, 6-1 in the opening round. She went on to defeat teammate Austin in the second round and will face Grinnell's Paige Sargent, who defeated De Bruijn in the semifinal, in the draw one championship on Sunday.In draw two, Noor Omar, a first-year from Fridley, Minnesota, delivered a dominant 6-0, 6-0 victory over future conference opponent Faith Simon of St. Catherine. Omar's run came to an end in the semifinal, where she fell to Pari Chavan of Grinnell. Chavan will now face Allison Szalay of the Gusties in the draw two title match.The Gusties also saw success in other draws, with Maya Brakhage, Pavla Yakimova, and Rika Cross all advancing to the championship matches in their respective draws. Yakimova and Cross will face each other in draw four, while Brakhage will take on Grinnell's Anika Sheth in draw three.

Gustie Showdowns in Singles Draws

The tournament also featured all-Gustie championship matches in singles draws five and seven. Junior Madison Packer will face sophomore Veranique Poquette in draw five, while junior Taylor Ruhl will compete against first-year Tyra Gustavson in draw seven.

Doubles Dominance

In doubles play, the Gusties continued their strong performance, advancing eight teams to the semifinals. The duo of De Bruijn and Elvestrom picked up an 8-4 victory over Division II Moorhead, while Szalay and Austin added another Division II win, defeating Sioux Falls 8-1.The doubles draw two will feature at least one Gustie team, with the pairs of Alli Laux and Bethany Smith, Maya Brakhage and Lanie Davis, and Ella De Young and Noor Omar all competing in the semifinal.

Coaches' Perspective

Head Coach Jon Carlson expressed his pride in the team's performance, saying, "It was a great first day of competition for the season. I'm extremely proud of how hard everyone played and competed. The best thing that came out of our first day today was that the team realized we can be very successful this season, and we will also have a lot of fun."The Gusties will return to the courts on Sunday, with matches played both indoors and outdoors at the Swanson Tennis Center starting at 9 a.m.