STATESBORO, Ga. – North Carolina A&T women's tennis program competed at the GS Fall Shootout hosted by Georgia Southern University (GSU) at the Wallis Tennis Center, with Juana Gomez-Weiss winning her draw and Randy Rakotoarilala pulling off an upset in her respective draw.
Tabeth Tadoum and Dorsa Cheraghi also competed in Georgia over the weekend in doubles and singles competition. Inclement weather played a significant role throughout the weekend, transforming schedules and canceling matches on Sunday.
Gomez-Weiss won the GATA Singles Division, starting with a win over Austin Peay's Clemence Butavand 6-0, 6-4. She then stepped to the court and defeated Kennesaw State's Maria Ivankovic 6-1, 6-2.
"I felt really good playing even though the conditions were not the best," said Gomez-Weiss. "The experience helped me gain confidence and prepare for the regionals next week. The results reflect the quality of our training and the high level of our team."
Rakotoarilala continued that high level of play with an impressive win over the No.2 seed from GSU, Evelyn Warkentin, in the Blue Singles Division. Rakotoarilala defeated Warkentin 6-4 in the first set, and Warkentin retired in the second. Rakotoarilala advanced to face Austin Peay's Sophia Baranov. Baranov defeated Rakotoarilala 7-5, 6-1.
In the ERK Singles Division, Cheraghi lost to GSU's Nanaka Kijima 6-2, 6-7 and 10-4 in the tiebreaker. A&T's Tabeth Tadoum lost to Kennesaw State's Laura Nadaska 6-3, 6-3 in the FAYE Singles Division.
"I'm incredibly proud of Randy, Dorsa, Tabeth, and Juana for a fantastic weekend of tennis," said Bivens. "Juana winning her tournament was an outstanding achievement. She's been playing some of her best tennis this fall, and it showed. Randy's win over the No. 2 seed in her draw from Georgia Southern was another huge moment for our program and for her personally."
The Aggies did get on the court on Friday, with Rakotoarilala and Gomez-Weiss facing the second seed in the tournament, GSU's Evelyn Warkentin and Angelina Mihajlovic in doubles play. Warkentin and Mihajlovic defeated the A&T duo, 6-0. In other doubles action, Tadoum and Cheraghi lost to the Mercer duo of Valentine Talaki and Antonia Scheigal 6-2 in the GATA Doubles Division.
"All of these ladies are putting in the work, showing grit, and proving that we're on the rise," said Bivens. "I truly believe we're witnessing the start of a major comeback story for our women's tennis team. It has been a long time coming, and I can't wait to see what this group accomplishes as the season continues."
The Aggie women will prepare for ITA Regionals in Chapel Hill, NC, from October 16-21. The fall season will close with the Aggies competing at the UNC Wilmington Invitational from October 31-November 2.
