MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (10/13/16) – The Arkansas State tennis team opened play in the ITA Central Regional Tournament hosted by the University of Minnesota at the Baseline Tennis Center Thursday.

The Red Wolves played four singles matches in the round of 128, but failed to secure a victory on the day. Julie Gauguery, who played the tournament's ninth ranked player in Sofia Blanco from Oklahoma State, had the best opportunity on the day when she took the first set of her match to a tie break. Blanco prevailed, however, and took the set with a 7-6 (5) win and then took the match with a 6-2 victory in the second set.

Allison Quammen started the day for A-State with a 6-0, 6-1 setback to Iowa's Elise Van Heuvelen, who was entered the event ranked at No. 17. Victoria Roberts also was defeated in her opening round match by Katarina Stresnakova (Oklahoma State), by a score of 6-2, 6-1, while Shannon O'Brien closed out the day with a 6-1, 6-2 loss to Minnesota's Mehvish Safdar.

All four will now compete in the consolation bracket with matches set to begin Friday morning. Quammen will square off against Minnesota's Kalyssa Hall at 10:30 a.m., while Roberts will take on Barbara Kollarova on Incarnate Word at 1 p.m. Gauguery is set to play Drake's Kenya Williams at 2:30, while O'Brien will end the day with a match against Tulsa's
Mahitha Dadireddy at 4.

The doubles' portion of the bracket will begin Friday with Quammen and Roberts set to play at 10 a.m. followed by O'Brien and Gauguery at 11.

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