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NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Opening its fall tournament schedule, the Belmont University women’s tennis team returned to competition for the first time since April Friday afternoon at the Beaman Family Tennis Complex with day one of the Belmont/Lipscomb Invitational. Co-hosting the three-day hidden dual format tournament with nearby rival Lipscomb, the Bruins picked up a pair singles victories to start the weekend.
 
Facing players from both East Tennessee State University and Middle Tennessee, Belmont played eight singles matches as both junior Hana Sokolovic and senior Libbie Hamilton came away with straight-set wins.
 
Sokolovic defeated the Blue Raiders’ Cara Szilasi 6-2, 6-3, while Hamilton handled Middle Tennessee’s Karen Yibirin 6-1, 6-1.
 
Graduate Cielo Tapia-Cruz took the second set off the Buccaneers’ Audelie Lesauvage but fell 10-4 in a third-set super tiebreaker.
 
All of the Bruins’ match scores from Friday afternoon can be found below.
 
Belmont returns to action Saturday morning with doubles versus ETSU at 10 a.m., followed by singles against Lipscomb at the Bisons’ Huston-Marsh-Griffith Tennis Center at 11 a.m. Another round of doubles versus Eastern Kentucky at the Beaman Family Tennis Complex at 3 p.m. will conclude day two.
 
Belmont/Lipscomb Invitational
 
Singles
Alessandra Caceres (ETSU) def. Savannah Webster (Belmont), 6-4, 6-4
Ksenija Rage (ETSU) def. Jessica Popiol (Belmont), 6-1, 6-0
Niyati Kukreti (ETSU) def. Mia Jones (Belmont), 6-4, 6-3
Audelie Lesauvage (ETSU) def. Cielo Tapia-Cruz (Belmont), 6-4, 1-6, 1-0 (10-4)
Mariangel Estrella (ETSU) def. Ketevan Jeladze (Belmont), 6-3, 6-0
Hana Sokolovic (Belmont) def. Cara Szilasi (MTSU), 6-2, 6-3
Libbie Hamilton (Belmont) def. Karen Yibirin (MTSU), 6-1, 6-1
Sadbaroy Kholdarova (MTSU) def. Emma Grant (Belmont), 6-3, 6-1
 
How to Follow
Follow Belmont women’s tennis on social media – @BelmontWTennis on X, formerly Twitter, @belmontwtennis on Instagram and Belmont Women’s Tennis on Facebook – for complete coverage of the Bruins. Stay up to date with all of Belmont’s athletic programs via the official app of the Belmont Bruins, available both in the Apple App Store and on Google Play.
 

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