Women’s tennis faces conference foes

Brady Fitch photo Valeriia Avdeeva celebrates a point.

Troy women’s tennis competed in the penultimate invitational of the fall season at the Bobcat Invitational last weekend, getting a preview of conference opponents Texas State and ULM in the process.

The Trojans went 10-4 in singles play and 2-4 in doubles. Against the Bobcats and Warhawks, Troy had a combined record of 6-3.

Valeriia Avdeeva maintained a perfect 3-0 record in singles play through the invitational, beating two conference foes along the way. The junior from St. Petersburg, Russia, looks to build on a 2023-24 season, where she went 17-15 in singles play.

On day one, Avdeeva dispatched Texas State’s Sofia Fortuno and a player from St. Mary’s, winning every set she played. Avdeeva battled against ULM’s Lucia Fernandez on Sunday, dropping the first set 5-7. However, she fought back to win the next two sets 6-4, 10-8.

Hagar Ramadan-Amin made it through the first day in dominant fashion, beating a St. Mary’s player 6-1, 6-2 and a ULM player 6-1, 6-1. However, she dropped her third match to Fortuna after retiring.

Sophomore Emilia Namyslo also performed well in San Marcos, Texas, going 2-1 in singles play. She started off the invitational with a 6-3, 6-3 win over Warhawk Tingyi Li. Namyslo dropped a close 7-5, 4-6, 12-10 match to Incarnate World’s Smilia Matovic to close out the first day.

However, Namyslo bounced back with a 7-6, 4-6, 10-4 win over Texas State’s Ireland Simme. After only playing doubles in the spring, Namyslo figures to play a larger role for the Trojans heading into spring 2025.

The Trojans struggled in doubles play but saw one win from each pairing. Avdeeva and Maria Guirguis toppled a team from ULM 6-1 on day one before dropping matches to St. Mary’s and Texas State the second day of competition.

Namyslo and Gabrielle Leslie lost on day one but beat a team from Texas State 6-4 on Sunday. A different pair of Bobcats bested them 6-2 shortly after.

The Trojans close the fall season over the weekend at the Roberta Alison Fall Classic in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Play starts on Friday morning and runs through Saturday, Nov. 2.