The Hillsdale College women's tennis team opened the season at home against strong competition on Saturday and Sunday, hosting G-MAC foes Walsh and Northwood and Midwest Region power Wayne State for its annual Summer Invitational.
Despite tough opponents, Hillsdale had significant success in an impressive start to the season. All matches on both days were played indoors in the Biermann Athletic Center due to rain, and singles matches were played with four game sets to ensure all players got matches in with limited court space.
Hillsdale's top doubles pairing of senior
Ane Dannhauser and junior
Briana Rees got off to a strong start in 2026-27 after spending the 2025-26 season in the national rankings, beating Walsh's Taira Abildayeva and Olesia Ivashchuk 7-6 (3) and triumphing over another team from Walsh of Lina Starke and Aleksandra Chmir 6-4.
In other doubles action, Hillsdale's sophomore pairing of
Esther Sura and
Dimitra Papastavrou also picked up a pair of victories, beating Walsh's Magara De Villar De Pena and Eliza Verstappen 6-3 and also taking down Wayne State's team of Rebecca Laynes Viola Ranieri 6-1.
Five Hillsdale players went 2-1 in singles play as well.
Ane Dannhauser won a pair of matches, beating Walsh's Ivashchuk 4-0, 4-0 and Wayne State's Masha Moskatlsova 2-4, 4-1, 10-4.
Briana Rees also earned two victories for Hillsdale, triumphing over Northwood's Haruka Homma 4-2, 4-0 and Walsh's Starke 4-2, 5-3, while
Esther Sura beat Northwood's Elene Churruca 4-1, 4-2 and the Timberwolves' Homma 4-2, 2-4, 10-8.
Dimitra Papastavrou won twice, beating Wayne's Ranieri 5-3, 1-4, 10-8 and Northwood's Churruca 4-2, 1-4, 11-9, while freshman
Emily Muresan also won twice for Hillsdale in its first collegiate action, beating Northwood's Valeria Amorocho 4-1, 1-4, 10-5 and Wayne's Victoria Fojcik 4-5 (8), 4-2, 10-5.
Julia Zlateva also earned a win in singles for the Chargers, beating Wayne's Jiselle Okoya 2-4, 4-2, 10-6.
Hillsdale will play again this weekend, traveling to Grand Rapids on Friday for an invitational hosted by Davenport as the Chargers continue to build toward the ITA Midwest Regional set to take place in October.
