Thursday, September 22
Fort Worth, TX
All Day
University of North Texas
vs
ITA Regionals
Photo by: Zach Del Bello
Duo of Adams and Morais Advance to Doubles Semifinal to Highlight Solid Effort at ITA Texas Regional
9/26/2022 12:57:00 PM | Women's Tennis
Freshman Gloria Alogo Piqueras also produces strong performance, advancing to the singles quarterfinal
FORT WORTH, TEXAS (Sept. 26, 2022) – For the second consecutive year, the North Texas women's tennis team put a doubles team into the semifinal of the doubles main draw at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Texas Regional as Jasmine Adams and Matilde Morais highlighted a strong effort for the Mean Green over the weekend.
Adams, who was a part of the doubles team along with Lucie Devier that advanced to the semis a year ago, teamed up with Morais to win four straight matches, including an upset win over the tournament's #1 overall seed, before falling in a heartbreaker in the contest before the title match.
Adams and Morais weren't the only duo who had success in Fort Worth as freshman Gloria Alogo Piqueras and Olivia Malm picked up three straight wins to find themselves in the main draw quarterfinal. In total, UNT had two of the final 16 doubles teams remaining in the regional.
The Mean Green also had a few solid performances in the singles bracket, led by Alogo-Piqueras who advanced to the round of 16 in the main draw.
"We had a great run these past 5 days," head coach Sujay Lama said. "More importantly, I am extremely proud of the resilience, grit, character, and class we displayed throughout the competition. It was great to see our newcomers shine."
As a team, the Mean Green finished the weekend 24-14 overall while going 15-10 in singles play and 9-4 in doubles matches.
In addition, both Adams and Olivia Malm were able to bounce back from early losses in singles play as they both advanced to the consolation bracket semifinal where they faced off against each other with Adams taking home the win 6-1, 6-4 to move into the consolation championship.
The trio of Sophia Hummel, Olivia Halvorsen and Kexuan Zhou all started things off in a solid way Thursday as they all picked up straight set wins in the opening round of qualifying.
On Friday, the Mean Green picked up a pair of main draw victories in singles play from Alogo-Piqueras. The freshman opened the day with a straight set 6-1, 6-1 win over Margaret Polk of TCU before taking down the #11 seed in the tournament Allison Zipoli of Rice to advance to the round of 16.
The success for Alogo did not end there, however, as she and Malm teamed up to take down the #12 seed in the tournament Smetannikov and Boyer of Texas A&M 8-6 to move into the doubles main draw quarterfinal. Despite falling to Texas' Malaika Rapolu of Texas in the round of 16, Alogo was one of only two true freshmen to advance to the round of 16 in the regional.
"Gloria played unreal tennis and had the eventual champion on the ropes," Lama said. "She plays with such joy and passion. With more experience she is going to be a force to reckoned with."
Also on Friday, Adams, Malm and Morais all were able to respond after dropping their first matches of the main draw to pick up wins in the consolation bracket over opponents from Incarnate Word, Texas and UT-Arlington.
Day three for the Mean Green saw a lot of fireworks as well, highlighted by a huge win from Adams and Morais over the #1 seed in the tournament. The sophomore-freshman combination opened the day with a narrow 8-7 [7-2] win over the #7 seed Baranano and Dimitrova of Baylor to move into the quarterfinal.
In the quarters, Adams and Morais put on a clinic, dismantling El Jardi and Budin, who came into the contest ranked as the #16 doubles team in Division I by ITA, 8-4 to clinch their spot in the semifinal.
Saturday also saw Malm and Adams win their respective singles matches in the consolation bracket, both in straight sets, both grabbing a spot in the bracket quarterfinal.
"Olivia has such easy power and ability to take the racket off her opponents' hands," Lama said, "It was great to see her win a bunch of matches. She and Gloria have a synergy in doubles that is special."
In the doubles main draw semifinal on Sunday, Adams and Morais were able to grab the opening set 6-3 and nearly grabbed the victory in the second, falling narrowly 7-6 [7-5]. In the first to 10 tiebreak, UNT found themselves ahead 8-6 looking for the knockout, but could not complete the win as they fell 10-8.
"Talk about grit," Lama said "Jasmine showed she is all that and more. It's great to see her healthy again and battling for important titles. Her combination with Matilde was unbelievable. Mati showed why she is such a highly rated doubles player. She was a beast and displayed skills beyond her years. She and Jasmine have a special chemistry and were two points away from finals. What potential they have with more time to work together."
Adams and Malm also continued play in the consolation bracket Sunday, both winning their first matchups in straight sets to set up an all-UNT semifinal. Adams was able to get the better of Malm 6-1, 6-4 to be the lone Mean Green player to advance to Monday's final day of play.
Monday morning saw another tight matchup for Adams in the consolation bracket championship as she dropped a narrow first set 7-6 [7-4] but bounced back to win the second set 6-2. In the winner-take-all tiebreaker, Adams couldn't grab the win as she fell 10-8 to close out the competition for the Mean Green.
A full list of UNT results in the entire regional is below.
Day One (Thursday)
Sophia Hummel, UNT def. Ruju Chauhan, Prairie View A&M (6-1, 6-3)
Olivia Halvorsen, UNT def. Celia Vaudiau, Tarleton (6-3, 7-5)
Kexuan Zhou, UNT def. Reka Patel, SMU (6-2, 7-5)
Elsa Boisson, Tarleton def. Sophia Hummel, UNT (6-2, 4-6 [11-9])
#12 Margaret Polk, TCU def. Olivia Halvorsen, UNT (6-3, 7-5)
#13 Sofia Franco Salcedo, UIW def. Kexuan Zhou, UNT (6-2, 7-5)
#9 Adams/Morais, UNT def. Boisson/Morales Araneda, Tarleton (8-4)
Alogo Piqueras/Malm, UNT def. Vaudiau/Persson, Tarleton (8-6)
Orav/Trevisan, Rice def. Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT (8-3)
Day Two (Friday)
Gloria Alogo-Piqueras, UNT def. Margaret Polk, TCU (6-1, 6-1)
Gloria Alogo-Piqueras, UNT def. #11 Allison Zipoli, Rice (6-4, 7-6 [7-4])
#14 Yu-Chin Tsai, TCU def. Jasmine Adams, UNT (6-4, 6-2)
Mercedes Aristegui, TCU def. Olivia Malm, UNT (6-2, 5-0 [Ret. Inj.])
Emma Persson, Tarleton def. #16 Matilde Morais, UNT (4-6, 6-3 [13-11])
Olivia Malm, UNT def. Brandelyn Fulgenzi, UIW (6-1, 3-6 [10-5])
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. Simran Kortikere, Texas (6-0, 6-1)
#16 Matilde Morais, UNT def. Nika Novikova, UTA (6-3, 6-2)
#9 Adams/Morais, UNT def. McCutcheon/Graham, Texas St. (8-5)
Alogo Piqueras/Malm, UNT def. #12 Smetannikov/Boyer, Texas A&M (8-6)
Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT def. Wong/Shasteen, Lamar (8-5)
Day Three (Saturday)
#3 Malaika Rapolu, Texas def. Gloria Alogo-Piqueras, UNT (6-2, 7-6 [7-3])
Olivia Malm, UNT def. Lana Mavor, SMU (7-6 [7-4], 6-0)
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. Drew Morris, SMU (6-4, 6-4)
Jade Otway, TCU def. #16 Matilde Morais, UNT (6-2, 6-0)
#9 Adams/Morais, UNT def. #7 Baranano/Dimitrova, Baylor (8-7 [7-2])
#9 Adams/Morais, UNT def. #1 El Jardi/Budin, Rice (8-4) (Doubles Main Draw Quarterfinal)
Fulgenzi/Fulgenzi, UIW def. Alogo Piqueras/Malm, UNT (8-5) (Doubles Main Draw Quarterfinal)
Alogo Piqueras/Malm, UNT def. Tuells/Zlatarova, UTSA (8-5)
Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT def. Razet/Sobius, Tarleton (Wd., Inj.)
Morris/Mavor, SMU def. Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT (8-4)
Day Four (Sunday)
Olivia Malm, UNT def. Sofia Franco Salcedo, UIW (6-3, 3-6 [10-3]) (Singles Consolation Quarterfinal)
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. Sophie Schouten, Houston (6-1, 6-1) (Singles Consolation Quarterfinal)
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. Olivia Malm, UNT (6-1, 6-4) (Singles Consolation Semifinal)
#4 Komac/Tiglea, Texas Tech def. #9 Adams/Morais, UNT (3-6, 7-6 [7-5], 10-8) (Doubles Main Draw Semifinal)
Day Five (Monday)
Jade Otway, TCU def. Jasmine Adams, UNT (7-6 [7-4], 2-6 [10-8])
Adams, who was a part of the doubles team along with Lucie Devier that advanced to the semis a year ago, teamed up with Morais to win four straight matches, including an upset win over the tournament's #1 overall seed, before falling in a heartbreaker in the contest before the title match.
Adams and Morais weren't the only duo who had success in Fort Worth as freshman Gloria Alogo Piqueras and Olivia Malm picked up three straight wins to find themselves in the main draw quarterfinal. In total, UNT had two of the final 16 doubles teams remaining in the regional.
The Mean Green also had a few solid performances in the singles bracket, led by Alogo-Piqueras who advanced to the round of 16 in the main draw.
"We had a great run these past 5 days," head coach Sujay Lama said. "More importantly, I am extremely proud of the resilience, grit, character, and class we displayed throughout the competition. It was great to see our newcomers shine."
As a team, the Mean Green finished the weekend 24-14 overall while going 15-10 in singles play and 9-4 in doubles matches.
In addition, both Adams and Olivia Malm were able to bounce back from early losses in singles play as they both advanced to the consolation bracket semifinal where they faced off against each other with Adams taking home the win 6-1, 6-4 to move into the consolation championship.
The trio of Sophia Hummel, Olivia Halvorsen and Kexuan Zhou all started things off in a solid way Thursday as they all picked up straight set wins in the opening round of qualifying.
On Friday, the Mean Green picked up a pair of main draw victories in singles play from Alogo-Piqueras. The freshman opened the day with a straight set 6-1, 6-1 win over Margaret Polk of TCU before taking down the #11 seed in the tournament Allison Zipoli of Rice to advance to the round of 16.
The success for Alogo did not end there, however, as she and Malm teamed up to take down the #12 seed in the tournament Smetannikov and Boyer of Texas A&M 8-6 to move into the doubles main draw quarterfinal. Despite falling to Texas' Malaika Rapolu of Texas in the round of 16, Alogo was one of only two true freshmen to advance to the round of 16 in the regional.
"Gloria played unreal tennis and had the eventual champion on the ropes," Lama said. "She plays with such joy and passion. With more experience she is going to be a force to reckoned with."
Also on Friday, Adams, Malm and Morais all were able to respond after dropping their first matches of the main draw to pick up wins in the consolation bracket over opponents from Incarnate Word, Texas and UT-Arlington.
Day three for the Mean Green saw a lot of fireworks as well, highlighted by a huge win from Adams and Morais over the #1 seed in the tournament. The sophomore-freshman combination opened the day with a narrow 8-7 [7-2] win over the #7 seed Baranano and Dimitrova of Baylor to move into the quarterfinal.
In the quarters, Adams and Morais put on a clinic, dismantling El Jardi and Budin, who came into the contest ranked as the #16 doubles team in Division I by ITA, 8-4 to clinch their spot in the semifinal.
Saturday also saw Malm and Adams win their respective singles matches in the consolation bracket, both in straight sets, both grabbing a spot in the bracket quarterfinal.
"Olivia has such easy power and ability to take the racket off her opponents' hands," Lama said, "It was great to see her win a bunch of matches. She and Gloria have a synergy in doubles that is special."
In the doubles main draw semifinal on Sunday, Adams and Morais were able to grab the opening set 6-3 and nearly grabbed the victory in the second, falling narrowly 7-6 [7-5]. In the first to 10 tiebreak, UNT found themselves ahead 8-6 looking for the knockout, but could not complete the win as they fell 10-8.
"Talk about grit," Lama said "Jasmine showed she is all that and more. It's great to see her healthy again and battling for important titles. Her combination with Matilde was unbelievable. Mati showed why she is such a highly rated doubles player. She was a beast and displayed skills beyond her years. She and Jasmine have a special chemistry and were two points away from finals. What potential they have with more time to work together."
Adams and Malm also continued play in the consolation bracket Sunday, both winning their first matchups in straight sets to set up an all-UNT semifinal. Adams was able to get the better of Malm 6-1, 6-4 to be the lone Mean Green player to advance to Monday's final day of play.
Monday morning saw another tight matchup for Adams in the consolation bracket championship as she dropped a narrow first set 7-6 [7-4] but bounced back to win the second set 6-2. In the winner-take-all tiebreaker, Adams couldn't grab the win as she fell 10-8 to close out the competition for the Mean Green.
A full list of UNT results in the entire regional is below.
Day One (Thursday)
Sophia Hummel, UNT def. Ruju Chauhan, Prairie View A&M (6-1, 6-3)
Olivia Halvorsen, UNT def. Celia Vaudiau, Tarleton (6-3, 7-5)
Kexuan Zhou, UNT def. Reka Patel, SMU (6-2, 7-5)
Elsa Boisson, Tarleton def. Sophia Hummel, UNT (6-2, 4-6 [11-9])
#12 Margaret Polk, TCU def. Olivia Halvorsen, UNT (6-3, 7-5)
#13 Sofia Franco Salcedo, UIW def. Kexuan Zhou, UNT (6-2, 7-5)
#9 Adams/Morais, UNT def. Boisson/Morales Araneda, Tarleton (8-4)
Alogo Piqueras/Malm, UNT def. Vaudiau/Persson, Tarleton (8-6)
Orav/Trevisan, Rice def. Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT (8-3)
Day Two (Friday)
Gloria Alogo-Piqueras, UNT def. Margaret Polk, TCU (6-1, 6-1)
Gloria Alogo-Piqueras, UNT def. #11 Allison Zipoli, Rice (6-4, 7-6 [7-4])
#14 Yu-Chin Tsai, TCU def. Jasmine Adams, UNT (6-4, 6-2)
Mercedes Aristegui, TCU def. Olivia Malm, UNT (6-2, 5-0 [Ret. Inj.])
Emma Persson, Tarleton def. #16 Matilde Morais, UNT (4-6, 6-3 [13-11])
Olivia Malm, UNT def. Brandelyn Fulgenzi, UIW (6-1, 3-6 [10-5])
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. Simran Kortikere, Texas (6-0, 6-1)
#16 Matilde Morais, UNT def. Nika Novikova, UTA (6-3, 6-2)
#9 Adams/Morais, UNT def. McCutcheon/Graham, Texas St. (8-5)
Alogo Piqueras/Malm, UNT def. #12 Smetannikov/Boyer, Texas A&M (8-6)
Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT def. Wong/Shasteen, Lamar (8-5)
Day Three (Saturday)
#3 Malaika Rapolu, Texas def. Gloria Alogo-Piqueras, UNT (6-2, 7-6 [7-3])
Olivia Malm, UNT def. Lana Mavor, SMU (7-6 [7-4], 6-0)
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. Drew Morris, SMU (6-4, 6-4)
Jade Otway, TCU def. #16 Matilde Morais, UNT (6-2, 6-0)
#9 Adams/Morais, UNT def. #7 Baranano/Dimitrova, Baylor (8-7 [7-2])
#9 Adams/Morais, UNT def. #1 El Jardi/Budin, Rice (8-4) (Doubles Main Draw Quarterfinal)
Fulgenzi/Fulgenzi, UIW def. Alogo Piqueras/Malm, UNT (8-5) (Doubles Main Draw Quarterfinal)
Alogo Piqueras/Malm, UNT def. Tuells/Zlatarova, UTSA (8-5)
Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT def. Razet/Sobius, Tarleton (Wd., Inj.)
Morris/Mavor, SMU def. Hummel/Halvorsen, UNT (8-4)
Day Four (Sunday)
Olivia Malm, UNT def. Sofia Franco Salcedo, UIW (6-3, 3-6 [10-3]) (Singles Consolation Quarterfinal)
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. Sophie Schouten, Houston (6-1, 6-1) (Singles Consolation Quarterfinal)
Jasmine Adams, UNT def. Olivia Malm, UNT (6-1, 6-4) (Singles Consolation Semifinal)
#4 Komac/Tiglea, Texas Tech def. #9 Adams/Morais, UNT (3-6, 7-6 [7-5], 10-8) (Doubles Main Draw Semifinal)
Day Five (Monday)
Jade Otway, TCU def. Jasmine Adams, UNT (7-6 [7-4], 2-6 [10-8])
Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Eric Morris Weekly Press Conference vs. Washington State | Mean Green FB
Tuesday, September 09
Recap vs Western Michigan | Mean Green FB '25
Monday, September 08
Broadcast Highlights vs Western Michigan | Mean Green Football
Monday, September 08
Broadcast Highlights vs ACU | Mean Green Soccer
Friday, September 05