Spartan Echo

MACON, Ga. – Freshman Marta Gomar earned a pair of victories in singles play to highlight the weekend for the Norfolk State women’s tennis team at the Mercer Gridiron Classic. The tournament ran from Friday through Sunday at both the LeRoy Peddy Tennis Center on the campus of Mercer and the Tattnall Square Tennis Center located in the city of Macon.

Gomar began things on Friday with a 6-4, 6-2 win over Angie Dahnous of Savannah College of Art and Design in the singles C bracket. The following day against Mercer’s Haley Powell, Gomar dropped the first set by a 6-1 margin before rebounding to win the next two sets, 6-3 and 6-0.

She continued the momentum on Sunday in the bracket semifinals. Gomar won the first set by a 7-5 score over Georgia State’s Lara Vovk, but Vovk came back to win the second set, 6-3, and the third set via a 7-6 margin after winning the tiebreaker, 7-5.

“The women have had a difficult fall schedule, both in terms of quality of opponent and the amount of tournaments they have played during the last month,” said head coach Worth Richardson. “We have certainly passed the test this fall, and our players have shown they have the ability to compete with anyone.”

Junior Ana Popovic picked up NSU’s other win in singles play, a 6-1, 6-1 triumph over Lindsey Lawing of Coastal Georiga on Friday in the D bracket. Popovic ultimately succumbed to Christie Cesarini of Mercer in the next round on Saturday, 6-2 and 7-5.

Senior Andrea Macchiavello and junior Liza Gordeeva each won in the consolation round on Saturday after falling in their first singles matches. Macchiavello beat Paige Murdock of Savannah College of Art and Design, 7-5 and 6-3, while Gordeeva picked up a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Berry College’s Lauren Byrket.

Macchiavello got knocked into the consolation round after a 6-3, 6-4 loss to Catherine Ragon of UAB on Friday. Gordeeva’s opening match of the tournament the same day saw her fall to Lorena Rionda of Florida Southern, 6-4 and 6-0. Both players competed in the B bracket.

Gordeeva and sophomore Dajana Cvjetkovic also won in doubles, a 6-4 victory over Florida Southern’s Rionda and Selin Devrimici on Friday. The following afternoon, the Troy duo of Nancy Karaky and Sanae Ohta swept them out of the doubles A bracket, 6-0.

Cvjetkovic dropped both of her singles matches at the tournament, first on Friday against Georgia State’s Linn Timmermann, 6-2 and 6-2, in the A bracket. In the consolation round, Troy’s Jiayuan Xue won by a 6-3, 6-2 score over Cvjetkovic.

Macchiavello and Gomar also competed in doubles, where they lost by a 6-2 score to Haley Powell and Roxy Bartz of Mercer in the B bracket.

“We will need to turn right around and prepare for regionals this weekend,” stated Richardson, “and then the players can focus on their physical training for the spring season.”

The ITA Regional will take place at Liberty beginning on Thursday. It will mark the fifth time in the past six weeks in which the Spartans will compete.