By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
LINDSBORG, Kan. – Fort Hays State Tennis opened its 2023-24 season over the weekend (Sept. 8-9) at the Bethany College Invitational. Five Tigers were victorious with a pair of doubles teams winning their respective brackets and a pair of individuals winning singles brackets.
Bethan Gill had a great start to her collegiate career by going undefeated for the weekend in both doubles and singles combined. She won the singles C bracket and teamed with Grace Unruh to win the doubles B bracket. Gill and Unruh surrendered just three points en route to their title. They defeated teams from Kansas Wesleyan, Tabor, and Concordia (Neb.) to win the title, outscoring their opponents 24-3, which included an 8-0 win in their semifinal match. On day two in singles, Gill breezed past opponents from Bethany (Kan.) and Sterling (Kan.) before claiming the finals match over Abby Veile of Bethany. Gill went 6-0 in doubles and singles combined.
The doubles team of Irina Alfonso and Fiorella Mendezclaimed victory in the doubles A bracket on Friday. They surrendered only one point to opponents, that being in their opening match against a team from Sterling College, before blanking their final two opponents to win their respective draw.
Freshman Ines LaTorre was the other Tiger to taste victory in her respective singles draw for the weekend, winning the B bracket. She pulled out a couple of competitive wins in her first two matches by scores of 8-6 and 8-5 before winning the finals match over Tara Stewart of Tabor College by a score of 8-2.
Aside from four titles among five players, the Tigers also had a pair of second-place finishes. The doubles team of Shreethika Vangala and Ines LaTorre reached the finals match of the A bracket with a pair of 8-2 wins before getting topped by teammates Alfonso and Mendez in the finals. In the singles F draw, Heidi Lubbers posted wins over players from Concordia (Neb.) and Kansas Wesleyan by scores of 8-3 and 8-0 before coming up short in an 8-5 decision to Camila Castro of Sterling.
FHSU had three third-place finishers in singles draws A through C. Alfonso (A draw), Mendez (B draw), and Unruh (C draw) all went 2-1 in singles play.
Below are the records of FHSU players that competed over the weekend at the tournament. Brackets of the tournament are available HERE.
Bethan Gill – 6-0 (3-0 doubles, 3-0 singles)
Irina Alfonso – 5-1 (3-0 doubles, 2-1 singles)
Fiorella Mendez – 5-1 (3-0 doubles, 2-1 singles)
Ines LaTorre – 5-1 (2-1 doubles, 3-0 singles)
Grace Unruh – 5-1 (3-0 doubles, 2-1 singles)
Heidi Lubbers – 2-1 (2-1 singles)
Shreethika Vangala – 4-3 (2-1 doubles, 2-2 singles)
Ines Steeman – 3-3 (0-2 doubles, 3-1 singles)
Hope Lubbers – 3-3 (0-2 doubles, 3-1 singles)