On September 19-20, the Freed-Hardeman University Lady Lions visited Bowling Green, Ky., to compete in the Mid-South Conference Fall Tournament. An individual knockout tournament, six MSC schools had competitors on the courts.
In the first round, Morgan Brown won two games each set, but fell 6-2, 6-2 to Lara Zugasti of Cumberland. Cecily Davis dropped her match with Lucia Perez of Lindsey Wilson 6-1, 6-0 while Kennley Kirk lost to the Cumberlands’ Rion Yanuma by the same score. Elise Kruzan finished the day with a 6-0, 6-2 defeat at the hands of Cumberlands’ Marina Nagai.
The Lady Lions got their first victory of the tournament with Brown winning a nailbiting marathon against Cumberland’s Valeria Yevheniva 5-7, 7-5, 1-0. Kirk forced an extra game in her consolation round match, ultimately falling to Georgetown’s Abigail Moss 7-5, 6-3. Kruzan lost her match with Asya Tilsium of Cumberland 6-0, 6-2 with Davis falling 6-0, 6-4 to Georgetown’s Anna White.
In the doubles competition, Morgan Brown and Elise Kruzan lost in the first round 6-0 to Lindsey Wilson’s Aina Bernbeu/Mariangles Mateu team before bouncing back in the consolation round with a 6-1 defeat of Cumberlands’ Riat Liu Yufang/Rion Yanuma. Cecily Davis and Kennley Kirk lost to Cumberland’s Madeleine Darud and Jaunita Mendez 6-1 before retiring their second match against Victoria Zarate/Bryndis Rosa of the Cumberlands.
Though the first round did not go the way of the Freed-Hardeman Lion tennis team, the squad bounced back in the consolation round of the 2024 Mid-South Conference Fall Tournament. Individuals from six MSC schools competed in a double-elimination tournament.
The first round saw Pablo Poleo claim victory over Georgetown’s Matthew Smith 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 while Braden Young also was victorious with a 7-6, 6-3 win over GC’s Rex Roof. CU’s Gabriel Godoy topped Maxime Guyon 6-2, 6-4. Dan Wessels of CU defeated Merlin Bolema 6-4, 6-3 with Phoenix Paul Daniel Meyer getting a 6-2, 6-2 win over Nolan Laduree. Raphael Lee of Cumberland defeated Carlos Garcis 6-4, 6-2.
In the second round, Poleo lost to Cumberland’s Elisey Kalashnikov 6-4, 6-1 with Lindsey Wilson’s Lucas Marques topping Brayden Young 6-0, 6-1.
The three Lions in the consolation bracket all racked up victories: Bolema defeating Georgetown’s Will Barnes 6-4, 6-3 while Guyon bested Tiger Chase Hechemy 6-4, 6-2. Laduree responded with a 6-2, 7-5 win over GC’s Stephen Taylor.
In the doubles round, Merlin Bolema and Maxime Guyon fell 6-3 to Lindsey Wilson’s Jaime Barceo and Marcal Miret with Carlos Garcia and Braden Young dropping their match 6-2 to the Blue Raiders’ Lucas Marques and Logan Engela. Nolan Laduree and Pablo Poleo forced an extra game, but lost 7-5 to the Cumberlands’ Darius Kuster/Sam Rakotondrainibe duo.
In the consolation round, Bolema and Guyon took care of business with a 6-4 win over the Cumberlands’ Liam Savio/Gabriele Solda. Garcia and Young lost 6-1 to Georgetown’s Stephen Taylor and Leo Schirmer. Mother Nature intervened with a thunderstorm before Laduree and Poleo could compete in their second doubles match.
