ROME, Ga. (October 17, 2025) –
Alyssa Novoa woke up Friday morning with one goal: to extend her stay in Rome. And honestly, who's to blame her? Playing from court 14 of the Rome Tennis Center (in Georgia), the sophomore accomplished her task, defeating Angelo State's Margaux Rene on her way to the semifinals of the ITA Cup.
Both players came out hot, upholding their status of playing in the prestigious tournament. Novoa took the first set 6-3, but Rene would not go down without a fight. In the clinching second set, Novoa battled, taking coaching points and applying them amid the competitive arena. The two traded blows before the Apopka, Florida native ultimately pulled out a narrow 7-6 win to seal the deal.
"Today was a fight to the end. I'm incredibly proud of Alyssa's resilience and her dedication to the process we've been focusing on," remarked Coach
Tasi Purcell Batista. "She showed great determination, especially in pulling out a tightly contested second set. It was a high-level match from both players."
Novoa's quest for the title continues tomorrow at 11am in what will be another high-level tennis match, this time with a conference foe. The sophomore will take on Barry's Dana Heimen as she looks to extend her stay even further. As a reminder, fans can follow the tournament brackets
HERE and watch select matches on live stream
HERE.
