ROMA, Ga.- The doubles duo of
Dario Huber and
Renato Lima became the first male Greyhound to top the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Cup doubles draw Saturday, and they added to that feat Sunday in becoming the best of NCAA Division II, III, the NAIA and Junior College doubles squads.
The ITA Cup, which brings together the best in NCAA Division II, III, the NAIA and NJCAA all in one weekend, featured a draw of the top 16 doubles teams in NCAA Division II. Huber and Lima entered the bracket as the two-seed, and upset top-seeded Matei Avram and Alvaro Regalado of Columbus State in the draw's finale Saturday. Sunday the pair won two matches in the ITA Super Bowl bracket , which featured the winners of all four represented organizations, to send themselves to the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships.
The Greyhound duo went 4-0 through the NCAA Division II bracket, starting with a 7-5; 6-3 win over Azusa Pacific in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, the pair bested Wingate 6-3; 6-4. They went on to win 6-2, 6-3 over Lander in the semifinals to set up the final versus Columbus State. Huber and Lima fought back from a 1-5 deficit in the first set to post the 7-6(5); 7-5 win to take the ITA Division II Doubles title. Sunday's action saw them defeat the NAIA champions from William Carey 6-1, 6-4 in their first match, and then JUCO champions ASA Miami in a three-set match 2-6, 6-2, 10-5 to leave the event as the all-around title winners and head to the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, where they will compete in the same tournament as the nation's top NCAA Division I players.
On the women's side,
Nikol Alekseeva finished as runner-up in the singles draw, falling 6-3, 6-3 Sunday morning. A Greyhound woman has been a mainstay in the ITA Cup brackets, with UIndy represented each year since 2014, when
Stephanie Hirsch made her first appearance. Alekseeva is the second Greyhound to make the ITA Cup final, as
Hanna Volikova appeared in the singles championship in both 2017 and 2018.
Lima and Huber head to the Newport Beach Tennis Club & The Tennis Club at Newport Beach Country Club in Newport Beach, CA, Nov. 6-10 for the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships.
