Newcomers Pick Up Wins for Women's Tennis in Season Opener

Scots fall at Central 6-3 on Saturday

by Nathan Baliva

MONMOUTH, Ill. (08/26/2023) — The Monmouth College women's tennis team played the first official athletics event of the 2023-24 season on Saturday with a 6-3 loss at Central College in Pella, Iowa. Newcomers accounted for all three of the Fighting Scots points as Ivana Stefanova (Streamwood, Illinois) and Kat Ramsenthaler (Linz, Austria) both won in singles and teamed together to win in doubles.

Stefanova and Ramsenthaler played together at No. 1 doubles and beat Central's top team 8-2. Natalie Labicki (Antioch, Illinois) and Jennifer Shimmin (Monmouth, Illinois) lost 8-2 at No. 2 doubles. Freshman Kimber Calvert (Paris, Illinois) and senior Julia Mheidze (Springfield, Illinois) lost 8-2 at No. 3 doubles.

Labicki, the 2022 MWC Newcomer of the Year, played at No. 1 singles and had a 3-set battle with the top player for the Dutch. She won the first set 6-2 but lost the second set 7-5 and fell in the tiebreak set 10-5.

Stefanova won at No. 2 singles with a straight sets 6-4, 6-4 victory. Ramsenthaler also won in straight sets, taking her No. 3 singles match 6-4, 7-5. Calvert lost at No. 4 singles 6-3, 6-0 and Central won the final two singles matches 6-0, 6-0. Shimmin played at No. 5 singles while Maddie Psomas (Hofffman Estates) subbed in at No. 6 singles.

The Scots head back to Iowa next weekend for three matches. They will play Loras at 5 p.m. Friday before facing Dubuque at 10 a.m. and Wisconsin-Stout at 1 p.m. on Saturday.All three matches will take place in Dubuque, Iowa. Monmouth's home opener is set for Friday, Sept. 8 at 3 p.m. against St. Ambrose.