Clemson Women’s Tennis defeated East Tennessee State University 4-1 on May 1 in Nashville, moving forward in the NCAA Tournament. The Tigers, ranked No. 24, improved their season record to 19-8 after coming from behind to win four consecutive singles matches following a loss in doubles play.
The result is significant as it keeps Clemson’s postseason hopes alive and places them among the final 32 teams vying for the national championship. The team will next face either Vanderbilt or Xavier for a spot in the round of 16.
In doubles action, Romana Cisovska and Talia Neilson-Gatenby gave Clemson an early lead by defeating Alessandra Caceres and Mariangel Estrella, but ETSU responded with wins on courts one and five to secure the opening point. Despite this setback, Clemson rebounded strongly during singles play.
Jade Groen tied the match by winning her singles contest against Ksenija Rage. Cisovska then put Clemson ahead with a straight-set victory over Julia Millan. Neilson-Gatenby extended the advantage before Rinon Okuwaki clinched the overall win for Clemson by overcoming Caceres in two close sets. Matches involving Ria Bhakta and Artemis Aslanisvili were abandoned after they had taken leads.
Looking ahead, Clemson will compete again on Saturday at 5 p.m., facing either Vanderbilt or Xavier for a chance to advance further in tournament play.
