The Lady Lion tennis team capped off their fall season at the Big Easy Tennis Classic. The tournament, which was hosted by the University of New Orleans and spanned Oct. 24 through Oct. 25, featured several brackets so that all the members of the teams participating could compete. 

For the second time this fall, junior Renee Villarreal was victorious throughout all of her matches winning singles bracket. The Mexico native stormed past her first two opponents, defeating them both in straight sets. 

In the bracket’s final, Villarreal came back after losing the first set and defeating West Virginia University’s Lyn Yuen Choo.

Villarreal has had a strong fall season, having placed first in her bracket earlier this season in the Lady Demons Fall Classic, which offers hope for another successful spring season for the reigning co-Southeastern Female Athlete of the Year. 

Villarreal was not the only member from the Lady Lions to stand out during singles competition. Freshman Anna Bryukhova followed in Villarreal’s footsteps and defeated all who stood across from her in the singles competition. Not only was the Moscow native victorious in all of her singles matches, but she also swept her opponents by winning straight sets in each of her matches. 

Head coach Jason Hayes was pleased with the play from Villarreal and Bryukhova during an interview with lionsports.net.

“Renee and Anna had great singles performances, but every Lion played hard this weekend,” said Hayes.

Sophomore Avika Sagwal came close to being the third Lady Lion to reach the finals of a singles bracket. The India native reached all the way to the semifinals before being defeated by Hafsa Laraibi from UNO. In the same bracket, freshman Lucia Bustamante bounced back from a first round defeat by winning out on the consolation bracket. 

Freshman Dani Raygadas suffered a first-round loss in singles competition but found success in the doubles matches. 

The pairing of Raygadas and Bustamante was only one match away from reaching the finals of their doubles bracket. 

Also competing in doubles was Villarreal and Bryukhova. The duo continued their success from singles and made it to the semifinals of their bracket before being defeated. 

Hayes believed the fall season and recent tournament has shown the growth of the young team.

“We had a good effort last weekend in Pensacola, but I really challenged our girls to play their best, and I was very pleased with the results,” said Hayes in an interview with lionsports.net. “More importantly, we got better as a team this weekend.”

The Lady Lion tennis team will take a break until the spring season. Southeastern will be in action on Feb. 5 when they travel to Alcorn State.

For more news on Lady Lions tennis and a full schedule, go to lionsports.net.

 

The Lion’s Roar / Jay Love
Sophomore Avika Sagwal performed well at the Big Easy Tennis Classic this past weekend. The India native came one match short of joining teammates Renee Villarreal and Anna Bryukhova in a bracket final