The Hillsdale College women's tennis team had a promising showing at the ITA Midwest Regional hosted by Indianapolis this past weekend.
The three-day event, hosted annually, brings together all of the teams in the Midwest Region and their top players for singles and doubles play in three massive draws. With the best players in the Midwest at the NCAA DII level in action, the event always provides a good barometer for where the Chargers stand individually and as a team entering the winter and ahead of championship season in the fall.
Hillsdale had several players pick up wins in the competition, led by a strong showing in doubles. In the top level of competition, the A flight, Hillsdale's team of sophomore Megan Hackman and senior Melanie Zampardo made a run to the quarterfinals, with a 6-2 win over a team from Purdue Northwest and a 6-2 upset of the eighth-seeded team from Northwood before bowing out to Quincy in a 6-4 match.
The Chargers also got two victories in the B flight, as the sixth seeded team of junior Libby McGivern and freshman Ane Dannhauser beat a team from Lake Superior State 6-0 in the round of 32, before falling to a team from Ferris State 6-3 in the round of 16. Hillsdale's team of Courtney Rittel and Julia Wagner also got an impressive win in the consolation bracket of the B draw, knocking out the second-seeded team from Rockhurst in a 7-4 tiebreak before dropping a close match to the eighth seeded team from Saginaw Valley State in the consolation quarterfinals.
In singles play, Hillsdale also found some success. Dannhauser got off to a strong start in her first ITA Midwest Regional appearance in the top flight in the competition, beating Marina Magai of Rockhurst 6-2, 6-1 in the opening round and putting up a tough fight against fourth-seeded Ewa Samberger of Drury in a 6-3, 6-4 loss.
McGivern also picked up a main draw win for the Chargers in the B flight, beating Amelia Dickson of Saginaw Valley State in come-from-behind fashion, 3-6, 7-6 (2), 10-6, while in Flight C Hackman won her opening-round match 6-3, 6-1 over Angelica Montano and Julia Wagner upset 15th-seeded Ana Alvarez of Quincy 4-6, 6-3, 10-6. Helana Formentin also got a consolation bracket win for the Chargers in Flight C, bouncing back from an opening-round loss with a hard-fought 7-6 (5), 6-4 win over Martina Oviedo of Lake Superior State.
The Chargers have the next two weekends off before their final event of the fall season on Oct. 7 and 8, as Hillsdale hosts their annual two day Fall Invite to wrap up 2023 contests.
Photo by Emma Purdy