PENSACOLA, Fla. (October 5, 2025) – The Rollins Women's tennis team traveled north to Pensacola this weekend, participating in the ITA South Regional Championships hosted by West Florida. The weekend long tournament began with doubles play on Thursday, followed by a 64-player singles competition.
The Tars entered three duos into the doubles action Thursday afternoon, securing an opening round win virtue of
Milla Falster and
Stella Fruijtier. The pair continued chemistry built from last year's campaign, where they played primarily from the second position over the final month of the season. The senior and junior, respectively, took home an 8-6 victory Thursday morning, before falling in their second match at the hands of Barry's top ranked duo. Also taking the courts Thursday morning were
Nisan Can and
Amina Taibi, who dropped their match 5-8. For Can, it was her first time donning the blue and gold alongside Taibi, who ended last year's doubles competitions playing from the top spot. Finally,
Alyssa Novoa, also a newcomer this season, and sophomore
Amina Abdulloeva took the courts for the Tars. Unfortunately, the pair could not find luck in their opening matchup, falling 5-8 in the lone set. Yet, the pair did not give up. Abdulloeva and Novoa went on to advance all the way to the consolation finals, first securing a thrilling 8-7 victory in a tiebreaker before a bye to advance to the quarterfinals. There, the pair would defeat Lee University's pairing to avenge the loss of fellow teammates Can and Taibi. Later, in the semifinals, Abdulloeva and Novoa defeated conference foe Tampa, 8-4, building momentum each step of the way.
Friday's singles action began early, with Taibi looking to shake off Thursday's doubles loss with a solid showing. While the senior showed resolve, she lost 4-6, 2-6 to conclude her time in the main bracket. Later, Taibi fell in the consolation bracket as well, 1-6, 0-6 to conference foe Deren Ozel of Saint Leo. Can battled, but also could not find a win in round one, dropping her match 2-6, 5-7. Yet, Can found success in the consolation bracket. The freshman transfer came out victorious 6-2, 6-4 over Valdosta State's Milica Prokic and advanced to play teammate
Milla Falster in the quarterfinals. Falster fell in her first draw of the main bracket, but cruised in the consolation rounds. She swept Spring Hill foe Italia Jones, and lost just two games combined in a round of 16 victory over Delta State's Anastasiia Iakovlieva. The all-Tar quarterfinal dual eventually ended in a supertie, with Can advancing to Sunday's semifinals of the consolation, which was rained out.
Finally,
Alyssa Novoa concluded Friday's singles matches with a main bracket victory in the opening round. After trailing one set to none, Novoa rallied to snatch a 5-7, 6-1, 10-6 victory over Andrea Pascual of Lee University. Friday afternoon, Novoa continued her hot play with a 6-4, 6-3 straight set dub over conference opponent Amelie Gindl of Embry-Riddle. On Saturday morning, the tune stayed consistent. This time, Novoa cruised though, winning 6-1, 6-2 to advance all the way to the quarterfinals. Unfortunately, the streak of success would end there as Novoa was unable to overcome an opening set loss, dropping the match 0-6, 6-2, 1-6.
Overall, the Tars weekend was filled with success. Coach Tasi's squad will look to continue the momentum as they host the Varner Double Dual on the Lake in a few weeks' time (October 24-26). The event will be hosted by the Tars, playing the first official matches at the Tennis & Golf Center, which will be introduced with an inaugural ceremony one day prior. Come out and watch the Tars take center stage at the gorgeous new facility!
