Lady Tiger tennis team in second place entering final day of national tourney
Playing Monday at the NJCAA Division 1 Women’s Tennis National Championships in Sumter, SC, the Cowley College women’s tennis team advanced four singles players and a doubles team to the finals and is currently in second place behind Hillsborough (FL) College.
Cowley sophomores Cynthia Wanjala and Kendra Arostegui rallied from first-set losses to win their singles matches in three sets. Freshman Lisa Takamura also won in three sets, while sophomore Chiho Takada won in straight sets at No. 4 singles.
The Lady Tigers also advanced their No. 1 doubles team of Naghely Garcia Galian and Cynthia Wanjala with a 6-4, 6-4 victory over a duo from St. Petersburg College.
Tuesday will mark the final day of the national tournament. Hillsborough (36 points) holds a four-point lead over Cowley (32 points), while Collin College is a distant third with 22.5 points.
Results:
DOUBLES
*No. 1 – Naghely Garcia Galian/Cynthia Wanjala (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Sandra Rodriguez/Ilse Smaalders (Pratt) 6-3, 6-4 in the quarterfinals; defeated Daniela Garcia/Daniela Vivas Valencia (St. Petersburg) 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals.
*No. 2 – Sofia Karlau/Nathanielle Lee (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Mii Naito/Nao Watanabe (Collin) 6-4, 6-3 in the quarterfinals; lost to Noah Rojas/Aisulu Zholbolat (Hillsborough) 2-6, 2-6 in the semifinals.
*No. 3 – Chiho Takada/Lisa Takamura (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Juliana Jurado/Rosmary Pena (Weatherford) 7-6, 6-4 in the quarterfinals; lost to Salomea Jasiczek/Emily Lederer (Hillsborough) 0-6, 6-3, 3-6 in the semifinals.
SINGLES
*No. 1 – Sofia Karlau (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Mishel Lobotenko (Seward) 6-2, 6-3 in the quarterfinals; lost to Younsoo Cho (Hillsborough) 2-6, 3-6 in the semifinals.
*No. 2 – Cynthia Wanjala (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Valeria Cabrera (Weatherford) 6-2, 6-1 in the quarterfinals; defeated Daniela Garcia (St. Petersburg) 1-6, 6-3, 7-5 in the semifinals.
*No. 3 – Nghely Garcia Galian (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Ilse Smaalders (Pratt) 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals; lost to Sydney Stark (Hillsborough) 2-6, 0-6 in the semifinals.
*No. 4 – Chiho Takada (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Anna Schmidt (St. Petersburg) 6-0, 6-3 in the quarterfinals; defeated Nao Watanabe (Collin) 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals.
*No. 5 – Lisa Takamura (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Dana Espinoza (USC-Sumter) 6-1, 6-3 in the quarterfinals; defeated Sylvie Peart (Tyler) 7-6, 1-6, 6-1 in the semifinals.
*No. 6 – Kendra Arostegui (CC) received a bye in the first round; defeated Alyse Zimmerman (Pratt) 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinals; defeated Idom Cho (Tyler) 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 in the semifinals.