Ballach reaches round of 16 at ITA Regional Tournament
INDIANAPOLIS – Michigan Tech women's tennis junior Lauren Opalewski (Oxford, Michigan) and graduate student Nicole Ballach (Waldbroel, Germany) competed in singles and doubles at the ITA Midwest Region Tournament over the weekend at Center Grove High School. In singles, No. 14 seed Ballach defeated Claudia Adcock (Ashland) 6-2, 6-1 in the round of 64, then Parker Nolan (Ferris State) 6-3, 6-3 in the round of 32.
In the round of 16, Ballach came up short against No. 5 seed Isabella Dunlap (Central Oklahoma) 6-0, 6-1. Dunlap was inside the ITA Top 50 singles rankings last spring.
Opalewski fell in the round of 64 singles to No. 7 seed Sofia Sharonova (Indianapolis) 6-0, 6-0. She then defeated Viola Cipriani (McKendree) in straight sets 6-3, 7-5 in the first round of consolation before bowing out in the consolation round of 16.
"The ITA draws this year were competitive with many great players," said Michigan Tech head coach Kristin Yep. "Heat was a factor this weekend with matches singles and doubles. Lauren had a tough first round against a seeded player. Nicole did well in winning her first two rounds against quality opponents and represented us well. She was outplayed in the round of 16 against an excellent player who made it to the Championship."
Ballach and Opalewski teamed up in doubles and suffered an 8-4 defeat in their first match to No. 8 seed Anastasiya Salenko and Casey Smith (Lewis).
The ITA Regional Championships feature some of the top men's and women's players across the country. Over 8,000 student-athletes from NCAA Division I, II, III, NAIA, Junior and Community Colleges compete across 85 ITA Regional Championships around the country.
Michigan Tech women's tennis begins team match-play February 18 at Lewis University.
