EVANSVILLE, Ind. — Tennessee State women's tennis wrapped up a competitive weekend at the OVC Fall Championships at Wesselman Tennis Center, highlighted by strong singles play from freshman Claudia Murdasanu and a hard-fought consolation victory for junior Jovana Nikolic.

Murdasanu earned the Tigers' first singles win of the tournament, cruising past Southern Indiana's Lily Meyer 6-0, 6-2 in the opening round of C-Flight action. She advanced to the second round before falling to Lindenwood's Paola Garcia 6-2, 6-0.

Nikolic rebounded after an opening-round loss to Bryant's Yahli Noy, battling back in consolation play to edge Southern Indiana's Antonia Ferrarini in three sets, 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (12-10). She continued her run with a narrow three-set loss to SIUE's Margaux Guibal Britt in the next round.

In B-Flight singles, Julie Tungamarial, Natalie Walsh, and Victoria Cooksey each faced challenging draws. Walsh forced a third set in her consolation match before falling to Western Illinois' Jessica Hess 6-4, 6-7 (5), 1-0 (12-10), while Cooksey dropped a competitive two-setter to Southern Indiana's Enna Krnjic 7-6 (6), 6-4.

Freshman Aroa Castillo also competed in A-Flight, dropping matches to Lindenwood's Fabiana Labrador and Southern Indiana's Ferrarini.

TSU's doubles duos showed flashes of promise against tough OVC competition. The pairing of Cooksey and Murdasanu secured a 6-0 victory over Western Illinois in B-Flight consolation play. In A-Flight, Nikolic and Castillo pushed Lindenwood to the wire before falling 6-4, while Tungamarial and Walsh dropped competitive matches to Western Illinois and Lindenwood pairs.

The Tigers left Evansville with valuable experience across the board as they continue to build momentum for the spring season.

Game Notes

» Freshman Claudia Murdasanu earned a straight-set singles win in her Tiger debut.
» Junior Jovana Nikolic won a dramatic 12-10 third-set tiebreak in consolation play.
» The doubles team of Victoria Cooksey and Murdasanu secured a 6-0 sweep over Western Illinois.
» Natalie Walsh pushed her consolation match to three sets, narrowly falling in a super tiebreak.

Up Next

Tennessee State continues its fall slate at the MTSU Invitational, October 10-13 in Murfreesboro, Tenn.