HAMMOND- McNeese 's women's tennis had a good first day on Thursday at the inaugural Southland Conference Individual Championship that is being hosted by Southeastern.
 
Salome Fluri and the doubles team comprised of Erica Hagi and Ana Hollweg advanced to the Friday's quarterfinals with their victories.
 
Salome defeated UTRGV's Yaiza Vazquez in three sets (6-3, 5-7, 6-2). She will face Northwestern State's Honoka Umeda at 4 p.m. Friday.
 
Hagi and Hollweg, the Cowgirls' double team defeated Southeastern's Bente Bierma and Panatchakorn Suanarsa in a three-set tiebreaker.  The duo dropped the opening set 4-6 and won the next two sets 7-6 (7-4) and 12-10 to advance to Friday's 11 a.m. semifinals match against Stephen F. Austin's Jemma Cave and Ksenia Mamontova.
 
The champions of the 2024 Southland Individual Tennis Championships will qualify for the 2024 ITA Conference Masters Championship on Nov. 7-10. From this, four players will qualify for the NCAA Singles Championship (semifinalists). Meanwhile, three doubles teams will qualify for the NCAA Doubles Championship through the Conference Masters (champion, finalist, third place).  
 
 
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24 RESULTS
SINGLES | First Round
Match 1 | Anna Kouchnareva, New Orleans def. Asta Mietten, Lamar 6-0, 4-0, retired
Match 2 | Leana Gomez, Southeastern vs. Paula Menendez Alvarez, NJIT | 5 p.m. | Court 3
Match 3 | Salome Fluri, McNeese def. Yaiza Vazquez, UTRGV 6-3, 5-7, 6-2
 
DOUBLES | First Round
Match 1 Anna Kouchnareva/Fleur Sprengers, New Orleans def. Asta Mietten/Megan Do, Lamar 7-5, 6-4
Match 2 | Aada Inna/Paulina Villegas, Nicholls def. Yaiza Vazquez/Hitakamya Narwal, UTRGV 6-3, 6-3
Match 3 | Erica Hagi/Ana Hollweg, McNeese def. Bente Bierma/Panatchakorn Suanarsa, SLU 4-6, 7-6 (7-4), 12-10