Noel Earns Sweet 16 Appearance

STILLWATER, Okla. – Alexa Noel continued her run in the NCAA Singles Championship, advancing to the round of 16 Tuesday morning at the Greenwood Tennis Center.

Eighth-seeded Alexa Noel battled in the first set, going up 4-3 before notching the first set, 6-4. USC’s No. 60 Grace Piper then fought for the second set and controlled it until the end, taking it 6-3. After two close sets, Noel went on to go up 5-0 in the third set before Piper claimed her only game of the set, ultimately leading to a Miami win, 6-4, 3-6, 6-1.

Isabella Pfennig, ranked No. 47, matched up with the highest ranked player of her career, No. 3 Ange Oby Kajuru of Oklahoma State, in the round of 32. Pfennig started strong, taking a 3-0 lead in the first set, before Kajuru went unanswered for four games to take the lead. After a back-and-forth battle, Pfennig dropped the first set, 6-4.

Similar to the first set, Pfennig rolled through to grab a huge lead. Only allowing one game for Kajuru, Pfennig evened the match at two sets after a 6-1 win in the second set. Despite the dominant set performance, Pfennig fell in the last set, 4-6, 6-1, 2-6, just shy of ITA All-America status.

In the doubles bracket, No. 27 Isabella Pfennig and Xinyi Nong took on No. 14 Aysegul Mert and Dasha Vidmanova of Georgia. The duo tried to get the ball rolling, but couldn’t find a way, dropping the match 6-2, 6-2 to the Bulldogs.

Noel will face North Carolina’s No. 31 Anika Yarlagadda in the round of 16, tomorrow at 11 a.m. ET for a spot in the quarterfinals.