By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
LINDSBORG, Kan. – Fort Hays State Tennis had a strong start to the 2024-25 season by winning five of the eight brackets contested at the Bethany College Invitational on Friday and Saturday (Sept. 6-7).
Doubles champs included Irina Alfonso and Suzana Faucz in the A bracket and Bethan Gill and Hope Lubbers in the C bracket. Singles champions included Faucz in the B bracket, Gill in the D bracket, and Janae Montoya in the E bracket. Faucz and Gill each posted a perfect record for the weekend by claiming titles in both doubles and singles. Both went 6-0 for the weekend.
Alfonso and Faucz blazed through the A bracket in doubles play, giving up only one point to each of their opponents in the quarterfinals (Bethany) and final (Doane). Their semifinal match against a duo from Pratt Community College was the closest contest, resulting in an 8-4 win.
Gill and Lubbers breezed through quarterfinal and semifinal matches against teams from Kansas Wesleyan and Doane, surrendering just one point combined over the two matches. They defeated a team from Sterling College in the final by a score of 8-3.
Faucz won her first two matches of singles play in the B bracket by scores of 8-1 and 8-0, knocking off opponents from Pratt Community College and Bethany to reach the final. She took the final by a close 8-6 score over Barbara Mattar of Pratt Community College.
Gill was steady through the D singles bracket, winning her matches by scores of 8-2, 8-2, and 8-1. She defeated opponents from Doane and Pratt Community College before breezing past Helen Harbit of Bethany in the final.
Montoya blazed her way through the E bracket with wins by scores of 8-3, 8-1, and 8-3. She knocked off opponents from Bethany and Tabor before winning against teammate Hope Lubbers in the final.
After dropping their first match in A doubles bracket play, Shreethika Vangala and Montoya reeled off two straight wins to take the consolation side of the bracket. In the B doubles bracket, the team of Grace Unruhand Yone Pereiro reached the final where they lost a close 8-6 battle, and the team of Ines Latorre and Ines Steeman bounced back from an opening match loss to take the consolation side with two straight wins.
In the A singles bracket, Alfonso claimed two straight wins to reach the final, but fell 8-4 in her final contest. Vangala claimed the consolation side of the bracket, winning two in a row after dropping her first contest.
In the C singles bracket, Unruh won two straight to reach the final where she fell 8-3. Latorre placed third in the bracket after dropping her semifinal match. Steeman fell in her first match of the D bracket, but won two straight to take the consolation side. Lubbers won her first two matches of the E bracket before meeting her teammate (Montoya) in the final.
Fort Hays State returns to action next weekend in Pueblo, Colorado, where it will face RMAC schools MSU Denver, CSU-Pueblo, and Colorado Mesa in dual action. FHSU’s first home match will be on September 17.
Individual Records from the Bethany Invitational
| Name | Doubles | Singles | Overall |
| Suzana Faucz | 3-0 | 3-0 | 6-0 |
| Bethan Gill | 3-0 | 3-0 | 6-0 |
| Irina Alfonso | 3-0 | 2-1 | 5-1 |
| Hope Lubbers | 3-0 | 2-1 | 5-1 |
| Janae Montoya | 2-1 | 3-0 | 5-1 |
| Grace Unruh | 2-1 | 2-1 | 4-2 |
| Ines Latorre | 2-1 | 2-1 | 4-2 |
| Shreethika Vangala | 2-1 | 2-1 | 4-2 |
| Ines Steeman | 2-1 | 2-1 | 4-2 |
| Yone Pereiro | 2-1 | 0-1 | 2-2 |