ALLENDALE, Mich. – For the third year in a row a Greyhound women's tennis individual has claimed the ITA Midwest Regional championship, after sophomore Hanna Volikova toppled the 64-person bracket this weekend at Grand Valley State University.

Volikova met her teammate and two-time regional champ Stephanie Hirsch in the final match, guaranteeing the Hounds a spot in the ITA Oracle Cup.

Hirsch won the opening set, 6-2, and looked poised for a third consecutive appearance in the national tournament. But Volikova rallied to win the second set, 7-6 (4), and took the tiebreak 10-6 to clinch the title and secure her second victory over Hirsch this fall.

The two Greyhounds had tall tasks early Sunday, needing to get past a pair of the region's best and the top-seeded players in the tournament to meet in the finals. Volikova defeated Tiffin's Caroline Nelhage – the tournament's top seed – 7-6 (5), 6-1 in her semifinal match, denying Nelhage a spot in the finals for the second straight year.

Hirsch dropped second-seeded Dora Andrejszki from Lewis, 6-4, 6-4, in her semifinal bout. Both Nelhage and Andrejszki finished last year nationally-ranked by the ITA among singles players.

Volikova remains undefeated in her young sophomore season, improving to 9-0 in singles matches, and will compete in the eight-person ITA Oracle Cup in Surprise, Ariz. Oct. 13-15.

She had another opportunity Sunday to reach the national tournament, pairing with Florence Renard to compete in the A Doubles finals. Facing the top-seeded Lewis duo, Andrejski and Nora Mindiyarova, UIndy fell 8-2.

In the A Singles consolation bracket, senior Selenay Heper fell 6-2, 4-6, 1-0 (10-4) to Walsh's Sofya Logunova in the semifinals, finishing her weekend 2-2 overall in singles play.

After reaching the B Doubles finals, Heper and Pam Brito Torres lost an 8-5 decision to GVSU's Abby Perkins and Livia Christman.

SATURDAY
The UIndy women's tennis squad continued action at the ITA Midwest Regional Saturday, with several individuals advancing toward the title matches in their respective draws.

The A Singles draw has come down to four of the top competitors in the Midwest Region, as UIndy's Stephanie Hirsch will meet Lewis' Dora Andrejszki in one of Sunday's semifinals. Hirsch won her Round of 16 match, 6-4, 6-3 against Drury's Chung-Yen Huang, and defeated GVSU's Aimee Moccia, 6-1, 6-1 in the quarterfinal.

On the other side, UIndy freshman Hanna Volikova will meet Tiffin's Caroline Nelhage in the semifinals. Volikova continued her stellar sophomore campaign with wins against GVSU's Alexa Sweeney (6-0, 6-0) and Northwood's Veronika Radlinger (6-4, 6-1).

Hirsch and Volikova will begin their semifinal bouts at 9 a.m. Sunday.

The semifinal nearly featured three Greyhounds, as junior Florence Renard moved past UMSL's Jennifer Hauer, 6-4, 6-1, in the Round of 16, before falling in a narrow 2-6, 7-6 (11-9), 1-0 (11-9) decision against Andrejszk in the quarterfinals.

Senior Selenay Heper reached the semifinals of the A Singles consolation bracket, defeating Walsh's Victoria Ambrosio (6-1, 6-1) and teammate Chloe Weihs (6-3, 7-6 [7-2]) to reach the final four, where she'll meet Walsh's Sofya Logunova.

Prior to her defeat against Heper, Weihs defeated Davis & Elkins' Ester Bolmenas, 6-2, 6-3.

In B Singles consolation, Paige Olsen defeated McKendree's Alena Hinch by default, and won a marathon 4-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-7) match against GVSU's Calla Ramont to advance to the semifinals. There, she defeated Illinois Springfield's Kaitlyn Thornhill, 6-2, 6-3 to reach the finals.

In the main doubles bracket, Florence Renard and Hanna Volikova won both matches Saturday to reach the finals. The two defeated UMSL's Lindal/Trevino pair, 8-5, in the quarterfinals, before dropping Northwood's Tetyana Pavych and Carol Arnez-Mercado, 8-6.

The UIndy duo has a tall order on tap Sunday, meeting Lewis' Andrejszki and Nora Mindiyarova. The Flyers tandem was ranked in the top 10 nationally a season ago.

In B Doubles, Pam Brito Torres and Selenay Heper reached the finals after wins against Tiffin's Bianca Avram and Rachelmary Brozovich (8-4) and Bellarmine's Jennifer Skonieczny and Sydney Thompson (8-4). They'll meet GVSU's Perkins and Christman in the title match Sunday.

FRIDAY
The UIndy women's tennis team opened play Friday at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Midwest Regional championships, hosted by Grand Valley State University.

Two-time defending champion Stephanie Hirsch began her hunt for a third consecutive win in the A Singles draw, advancing to the Round of 16 with victories over Tiffin's Emily Sim (6-1, 6-2), and Maryville's Rebekah Anderson (6-1, 6-2).

UIndy sophomore Hanna Volikova, the reigning GLVC Freshman of the Year, also moved past the opening two rounds with impressive wins against Tiffin's Adel Musina (6-1, 4-0 [ret.]), and Maryville's Sarah Etter (6-0, 6-1). Musina was a Round of 16 participant in last year's ITA Regional, and Etter finished last season ranked among the top 20 singles players in the Midwest.

Greyhound junior Florence Renard joined her teammates in the Round of 16 after defeating Maryville's Puck Vlaskamp, 6-0, 6-1 in the opening round, and Saginaw Valley's Danielle Slonac in the second, 6-2, 6-3.

Elsewhere in A Singles, freshman Bella Bergman rallied to win her opening round match, 1-6, 6-2, 1-0 (10-2) against Bellarmine's Jennifer Skonieczny, before falling 6-2, 6-0 to Walsh's Mercedes Fernanez.

Senior Selenay Heper dropped her opening-round match, 6-4, 6-2 to Bellarmine's Maggie Walroth, but moved past her consolation match against Grand Valley's Abby Perkins.

Similarly, freshman Chloe Weihs was bounced from the A Singles early, drawing the region's top-ranked player, Tiffin's Caroline Nelhage. Nelhage, who reached the final match in last season's regional championship and finished among the top 25 Division II singles players, won 6-3, 6-0. Weihs responded with a 6-1, 7-5 victory in the consolation bracket against Rockhurst's Tamara Santos.

In B Singles, newcomer Mara Hofstetter defeated Saginaw Valley's Samantha Perkins, 6-2, 6-3 to open the weekend, but fell 6-1, 6-1 against Tiffin's Aimee Kaye in the Round of 16.

Likewise, freshman Pam Brito Torres defeated the host's Rachel Sumner, 3-6, 6-1, 1-0 (10-6) before dropping a 6-2, 6-4 decision against Michigan Tech's Natalia Parra-Alvarez.

UIndy junior Dana Olsen lost her first B Singles match, 6-1, 6-0 against Rockhurst's Justine Berezintsev, but rallied wih a 6-1, 6-0 consolation win against Saginaw's Mikayla Kazdan.

Paige Olsen also lost a tough opening-round match, 2-6, 6-3, 1-0 (10-0), against Saginaw's Abigail Shonk, before defeating Saint Joseph's Mary Huffine, 6-0, 6-1 in the consolations. She then advanced past McKendree's Alena Hinch by default.

In A Doubles, UIndy's Renard and Volikova defeated Drury's Chung-Yen Huang and Josephine Jedryshowski in the first round, 8-5, and Rockhurst's Kim Vrugteveen and Tamara Santos in the second, 8-3. The pair will meet Missouri-St. Louis' Kristine Lindal and Carlota Trevino in the quarterfinals.

Also in A Doubles, the freshman duo of Bergman and Weihs defeated Saint Joseph's Clare Kost and Vanessa Olson by default, but lost 8-1 in the Round of 16 to Lewis' top pair, Dora Andrejski and Nora Mindiyarova. The Flyers tandem finished last season as the top-ranked doubles team in the region, and No. 7 in all of D-II.

In B Doubles, the Olsens teamed up to defeat Rockhurst's Emma Persson and Sara Flaxbeard, 8-4, before falling by the same score to GVSU's Abby Perkins and Livia Christman.

Also in B Doubles, Heper and Brito Torres paired to sweep Davis & Elkins' Amanda Fewster and Marlene Ridgway, 8-0.

Action continues all day Saturday in Allendale, Mich.