This past weekend, the Case Western Reserve University women’s tennis team participated in the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Division III Central Regional Championships in Kalamazoo, Michigan, their last tournament until the spring season. Two Spartans reached the Round of 16 for singles, and two pairs reached the Round of 16 for doubles as well.

A total of eight singles players and four doubles teams competed at the tournament. First-year student Kendal Holladay and second-year student Jessica Liu were seeded at 9 for the singles tournament out of the total draw of 128, with first-year student Katrin Gurvich checking in at the 17 seed. Fourth-year students Kennedy Mulholland and Jennifer Lowe, third-year students Nina Cepeda and Peyton Young and first-year student Lauren Beier all competed as unseeded players. The doubles pair of Holladay and Liu were seeded third in the 64-team draw.

On the first day, the Spartans achieved success in both tournaments. Young and Holladay each posted a pair of victories, advancing to the Round of 32. Young’s first victory came over Laura Gutierrez of University of Chicago in the round of 128, 1-6, 7-5, 10-5. She then proceeded to take down 25th-seeded Dana Goggin of Augustana College in the Round of 64, 7-6 (4), 6-1.

Holladay handled Denison University’s Lucy Deal with ease, dropping her 6-0, 6-0 in the Round of 128. She continued with her great form, notching a 6-2, 6-0 win over Eleanor Rich of Oberlin College in the Round of 64. Cepeda and Liu escaped from the Round of 128, though they lost in the Round of 64.

In doubles play, all four Spartans pairs advanced out of the first round. Beier and Mulholland posted an 8-6 win over Millikin University’s Morgan Bettner and Kelly Ruane. Holladay and Liu registered a 9-8 (0) win over Saint Mary’s College’s Monica Davy and Samantha Setterblad. Gurvich and Lowe beat Lake Forest College’s Silvia Kulbokas and Allison Watts 8-4. Cepeda and Young claimed an 8-2 victory over Oberlin’s Olivia Hay and Rainie Heck.

The second day would prove to be even more competitive.

Young faced Allison Bush of DePauw University in the Round of 32 and walked away with a 4-6, 6-1, 10-6 win. In the Round of 16, however, she would end up losing 6-2, 6-2 against third-seeded Diana Aboubakare of Kenyon College.

In the round of 32, Holladay took on Claire Hallock of Hope College, defeating her 7-6 (5), 6-2. In her next match, she took on the top-seeded Rebecca Ho of Washington University. She lost 6-1, 6-3.

In the doubles tournament, Mulholland and Beier advanced to the round of 16 after closing out Meaghan Flynn and Kelsey Kopf of Saint Mary’s, 8-6. However, they fell to fifth-seeded Madelyn Lee and Gretchen Wilder of DePauw, 8-5.

In the Round of 32, Lowe and Gurvich lost to sixth-seeded Emma Brezel and Sarah Hughes of Oberlin by a score 8-6.

After a long winter of practice, the team will begin their spring season at Cleveland State University on Feb. 10, 2017.