AUBURN, Ala. (October 16, 2025) – The University of North Alabama’s women’s tennis team achieved notable success during the ITA Southern Regionals held this week in Auburn, showcasing a remarkable performance with a total of 14 wins.
Performance Overview
Throughout the tournament, North Alabama faced off against some of the region’s strongest singles and doubles competitors, surpassing their previous year’s results by securing one additional victory. Notably, five student-athletes from the Lions won at least two matches, while two accomplished four victories each.
Highlight Performers
Leading the charge for North Alabama was junior Louise Booker, who tallied an impressive five wins—three from singles play and two alongside senior partner Eeva Ristola in doubles. Ristola followed closely with four wins, including two singles matches.
- Louise Booker: 5 total wins (3 singles, 2 doubles)
- Eeva Ristola: 4 total wins (2 singles, 2 doubles)
- Sammie Schouten (Freshman): 3 wins
- Mathilde Delaney (Junior): 2 wins
- Farrah Assad (Freshman): 2 wins
- Senem Ocal (Senior): 1 singles win
Tournament Progression
The competition kicked off on Monday with singles qualifiers, where North Alabama set a strong tone with four initial victories. Notable first-round wins included:
- Booker defeated Kamornwan Kornsila from Southern Miss, 6-2, 6-2.
- Assad triumphed over Chiara Di Genova from Mississippi State, 7(8)-6(6), 6-4.
- Ocal’s victory against Ana Hollweg from McNeese, 7-5, 6-4.
- Schouten won against Grace Keller from Samford, 6-2, 6-2.
In the second round, Booker, Assad, and Schouten each accounted for one more singles win, with highlights including Booker’s comeback against South Alabama’s Jade Marie, winning 4-6, 7-5, 6-4.
The doubles main draw commenced the same day, where Booker and Ristola received a bye, while Schouten and Delaney advanced after an injury retirement from their opponents.
Continued Success
On Tuesday, Booker and Ristola advanced in the doubles draw, winning decisively against Samford’s Keller and Laila Fishman with an 8-2 score. Delaney managed a singles win against Louisiana Tech’s June Vigneron, rallying to a 3-6, 6-4, 6-1 victory.
In the consolation bracket, both Booker and Ristola added to their tallies, with Booker narrowly overcoming Sakura Sudo from Southern Miss, 7(8)-6(6), 6-1, while Ristola earned a hard-fought win over Aneka Patel from Jacksonville State, 6-2, 4-6, 10-5.
Final Day and Upcoming Events
Wednesday saw the conclusion of the main doubles draw, where Booker and Ristola faced a tough match against LSU’s Addison Lanton and Kinaa Graham, concluding their tournament run with an 8-2 defeat. However, Ristola ended the day on a positive note, winning in a pickup match against Di Genova, 6-4, 6(4)-7(7), 10-5.
The fall season continues for the women’s tennis team as they prepare for two upcoming events from October 24-26: the UTR Belmont in Nashville, Tennessee, and the Conference Individual Tournament in Jacksonville, Florida.
For more details about North Alabama Athletics, visit www.roarlions.com and follow updates on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
