ROCKY MOUNT, N.C. – The North Carolina A&T women's tennis team came into its season opener on Saturday with high hopes, coming off its best season in program history. After Saturday, it appears the Aggies are headed toward even more success.
A&T defeated North Carolina Wesleyan 4-3 at the Slick Family Foundation Tennis Court. The score was not that close after Wesleyan won two singles matches and doubles match by default. Other than those two giveaways, the Aggies looked terrific.
"Capable. Believers. Fighters. That's what we are," said sophomore Isabela Romanichen at the season's outset. "It is true that we only have four girls on the team. Is this the best-case scenario? No.
But I would rather share the court with my three teammates than with 10 players who don't have our mentality. We work hard, and we work smart. We are going to play, and we are going to take every chance we get."
Romanichen played No. 1 singles and doubles on Saturday. She won her singles match 6-2, 6-2 over Cristina Mendoza before teaming with Hana Elsherif to defeat Mendoza and Elisa Mariotti 6-0 in doubles play. Romanichen and sophomore Nour Gueblaoui played on the historic team from last season that posted a 9-8 record and won its first postseason match in 18 years.
Gueblaoui also started with an outstanding win in 2024. She defeated Andrea Elaez Miranda 6-1, 6-2 at No. 2 singles. Gueblaoui said her work during the fall season made her look forward to the start of the spring season even more. She and her teammates know the history they made last season and want even more.
"We are ready to keep making history for A&T," Gueblaoui said. "We did lose some of our players this semester, but that won't keep us away from fighting and bringing wins home. I have high expectations for this season for myself and my teammates. I believe that all the hard work we put in with our coach is about to pay off. Let's go get it!"
The Aggies continued to get after it on Saturday as Hana Elsherif defeated Bethan Fothergrill 6-2, 6-0 at No. 3 and A&T earned its final singles win of the day with Tabeth Tadoum defeating Ivanna Torres 6-0, 6-1. The Battling Bishops won No. 5 and 6 singles by default, and the Aggies had to surrender the doubles point after defaulting at No. 3 and losing at No. 2 as Gueblaoui and Tadoum lost to Fothergrill and Miranda 6-3.
"We don't care if it's the best team in the conference or the worst. Our approach will be the same; give all we have," said Romanichen.
A&T returns to action on Saturday, February 24, when it travels to Durham, N.C., to face North Carolina Central at 1 p.m. at the Dr. Younge Tennis Courts.
