The College of Charleston women’s tennis team advanced to the UTR Sports NIT Championship semifinals after defeating North Texas in a quarterfinal match on May 5. The Cougars, ranked No. 7, secured their first postseason victory in 42 seasons and their first ever in Division I.
This win is significant for the program, marking a historic milestone as Charleston moves forward in postseason play. The team will next face No. 3 Arkansas State in the semifinal round scheduled for May 6 at 11:30 a.m.
North Texas started strong by winning the doubles point with victories on courts two and three. After losing singles matches on courts five and six, Charleston’s Sia Cariov, Oziera Ahmad, and Jaiden McKee each won their singles matches in straight sets to tie the contest at three points apiece.
Head coach Angelo Anastopoulo said, “An amazing comeback victory after being down 3-0 and needing to win the last three matches. We lost a tight doubles point, but the team refused to lose and wanted to extend this amazing NIT experience another day.” Anastopoulo added, “As a coach, this is one I will remember for a long time against an incredible North Texas team that has had an incredible year. We will try to regroup and see if we can postpone retirement another day!”
With everything coming down to court four action, Riley Trinkle recovered from an opening set loss to win her match in three sets after a battle lasting three hours—securing Charleston’s place in the semifinals.
