Belles sophomore Andrea Fetters won the C Flight Championship as Saint Mary's wrapped up its fall action over the weekend at the MIAAFlighted Tournament in Holland, Mich.
Fetters lost just seven games on her way to the championship final. She then defeated Kalamazoo freshman Eloise Germic 6-4, 7-6 (11) to take the title. Belles coach Dale Campbell said Fetters proved her toughness in the final set tiebreaker.
"[Fetters] showed a lot of toughness physically to win four matches in singles and showed great mental toughness as a first-year player," Campbell said. "She pulled out an incredible 15-13 tie-breaker in the final match. The arrow is definitely pointing up, as she continues to get stronger in practice, and this tournament shows how her endurance pays off for her."
Saint Mary's played well overall, Campbell said. Several players turned in good performances, particularly in the doubles competition, he said.
"There were many great performances," Campbell said. "[Junior] Kayle Sexton and [freshman] Hannah Nichols had a really nice doubles match in the A bracket. Also we had two doubles teams meet in the finals of the B bracket."
Juniors Shannon Elliott and Audrey Kiefer won their first match in the A Doubles Flight but lost their second match to the eventual champions, Hope freshman Nancy Benda and junior CarliCapestany, 8-1.
Junior Jackie Kjolhede and freshman KaityVenters competed in the B Doubles Flight. After they dropped into the Back Draw, they won two matches and put themselves in the Back Draw finals against their teammates, Fetters and freshman Sam Setterblad. Setterblad and Fetters earned the win 9-7.
Setterblad also advanced to the second round of the B Flight for the Belles (1-0, 0-0 MIAA) with a decisive 6-0, 6-0 victory but lost her second match to Hope senior Stephanie Huffman.
Sexton, Kjolhede and Nichols competed in the A flight for Saint Mary's. Sexton made a come-from-behind bid to win her first match 3-6, 6-4, 10-4 but lost in the second round. Kjolhede and Nichols lost in the first round but each won one match in the Back Draw before they were eliminated.
The losses showed the Belles what they need to work on in the off-season, Campbell said.
"Conditioning in the offseason will be critical, also continuing to work on technical areas where we have some weaknesses that we could really improve on," Campbell said. "Our serves are one area of focus as well as finishing points."
The tournament gave the Belles a chance to preview their spring competition and see their own team depth, Campbell said.
"It gives you a good feeling of how the competition stacks up in the conference," Campbell said. "I think we have the potential to be a good team if we put in the necessary work. It won't come easy but we have a lot of talent and depth.
Saint Mary's returns to action March 29 at conference rival Trine in Angola, Ind., at 1 p.m.
Contact Samantha Zuba at szuba@nd.edu
