Gonzaga University
ITA Regionals
Women's Tennis Advances in ITA Regionals
10/8/2026 8:41:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Competition Continues Tomorrow
PALO ALTO, Calif. – The Gonzaga women's tennis team competed Thursday on the opening day of the ITA Northwest Regional Championships, producing a 3-1 record in doubles matches and a split 3-3 showing in singles competition.
In doubles, Emily Robertson and Ella Nielsen paired up to take down a San Jose State duo 8-2, while Sia Cariov and Angelina Hug outlasted another San Jose pairing 8-7(5). Kelsey Phillips and Aisulu Zholbolat also won their match against Seattle's Daria Nazarenko and Montserrat Sierra, 8-5. Madeleine MacNeille and Sveva Zerpelloni narrowly fell 8-7(9) in their match against Sac State. All of the winning pairs will play in the round of 32 on Friday morning.
In singles qualifying, Zerpelloni won both of her matches to advance to the main draw. She opened with a straight-set victory over Eastern Washington's Aneliss Zamfirescu, winning 7-6(4), 7-6(2), before defeating Santa Clara's Alexandra O'Brien in three sets, 6-0, 2-6, 6-3.
Zholbolat also advanced past the opening round of qualifying after defeating Portland State's Kasumi Hirayama in three sets, 6-5, 5-7, 6-0. However, Saint Mary's Elif Gunal ended Zholbolat's run in qualifying with a 6-4, 6-1 victory.
Nielsen and MacNeille also competed in singles qualifying, with both pushing their opponents to three sets before falling. Nielsen lost to Portland State's Hana Abdelhamid, 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-4, while MacNeille fell to Portland's Karina Kiss, 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(3).
The singles main draw begins tomorrow; Angelina Hug, Emily Robertson, Sia Cariov, and Kelsey Phillips compete for the Bulldogs along with Zerpelloni who qualified with her wins today.
Competition continues through Oct. 11 at the ITA Northwest Regional Championships, hosted by Stanford University in Palo Alto, CA. This is one of 13 regional competitions ITA will hold around the U.S. during October, with singles finalists and doubles champions from each region qualifying for the fall NCAA Singles Championship and NCAA Doubles Championship.Â
Participating teams in the Northwest region include California (Berkeley), Eastern Washington, Fresno State, Gonzaga, Oregon, Pacific, Portland, Portland State, Sac State, Saint Mary's, San Jose State, Seattle, Stanford, UC Davis, Washington, and Washington State.
Results:
Doubles:
R64 (Main): Darya Savina/Francesca De Matteo (Sac State) def. Madeleine MacNeille/Sveva Zerpelloni 8-7(9)
R64 (Main): Sia Cariov/Angelina Hug def. Emma Fantousis/Soledad Fayos Capilla (SJS) 8-7(5)
R64 (Main): Kelsey Phillips/Aisulu Zholbolat def. Daria Nazarenko/Montserrat Sierra (Seattle) 8-5
Singles:
R64 (Qualifying): Hana Abdelhamid (PSU) def. Ella Nielsen 2-6, 7-6(1), 6-4
R64 (Qualifying): Karina Kiss (UP) def. Madeleine MacNeille 7-5, 5-7, 7-6(3)
R64 (Qualifying): Aisulu Zholbolat def. Kasumi Hirayama (PSU) 6-3, 5-7, 6-0
R32 (Qualifying): Elif Gunal (SMC) def. Aisulu Zholbolat 6-4, 6-1
R64 (Qualifying): Sveva Zerpelloni def. Aneliss Zamfirescu (EWU) 7-6(4), 7-6(2)Â
R32 (Qualifying): Sveva Zerpelloni def. Alexandra O'Brien (Santa Clara) 6-0, 2-6, 6-3
