WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. — The West Liberty University men's and women's tennis teams return to competition this weekend, traveling to Buckhannon, W.Va., for the Bobcat Challenger hosted by West Virginia Wesleyan College on Saturday and Sunday.
The event marks the Hilltoppers' fourth tournament of the fall and their first action since a small group represented the program at the ITA Division II Atlantic Regional Championships two weeks ago in Bloomsburg, Pa.
At the ITA Regionals, West Liberty gained valuable experience against some of the top players in the region. On the women's side, Maria Martirosyan and Courtney Curnutte teamed up in doubles play and also competed in singles. Martirosyan, seeded No. 14 in the singles draw, dropped a close first-round match to IUP's Charliz Tabili (6-1, 6-3), while Curnutte battled IUP's Maria Moskaltsova before falling in straight sets.
For the men, Pablo Zubieta and Ethan Shepard paired up for a competitive doubles matchup against the seeded tandem from West Virginia Wesleyan, narrowly coming up short, 8-4. Both also took the court in singles play, with Zubieta pushing his Bloomsburg opponent to a tight 7-5 opening set before falling in two.
