[Tennis] Chevez Wins ITA Regional Championship

Doane University Men's Tennis player Jorge Chevez (SO/Panama City, Panama) went 5-0 on the weekend at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Central-West/Southwest Regional Tournament to claim the regional singles title. Chevez is the first Doane tennis player to win the tournament.

A week after winning the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Individual Tournament men's singles title, Chevez received the 6-seed in the ITA tournament. He opened with a win over the 27-seed, Javier Contreras of Southwestern (Kan.), in straight sets, 6-2, 6-4.

In the round of 16, Chevez faced 11-seed Alberto Cabrillo of Texas A&M-Texarkana. Chevez won 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 1-0 (10-6) to move to the quarterfinals. To close out action on Saturday, Chevez went head-to-head with 3-seed David Moral-Tebar of Southwestern. Chevez claimed a 6-4, 3-6, 1-0 (10-6) win to advance to the semifinals on Sunday.

Awaiting the Tigers' top singles player was 2-seed, Claudio Quinones of Ottawa. Quinones had won his previous three matches in straight set victories. However, it was Chevez who would claim a straight set victory over Quinones by scores of 6-2, 6-3. 

In the championship, the top seed of the tournament, Alejandro Oviedo of Texas A&M-Texarkana met Chevez. Oviedo had dropped only one set on his way to the championship match. Chevez lost the first set of the championship match, 3-6, only to rally and win the final two sets, 6-2 and 6-4.

With the win, Chevez receives an automatic berth to the ITA Cup in Rome, Georgia. The event will run from October 17-20 at the Rome Tennis Center on the Berry College campus.

Alongside the ITA Tournament was the Southwestern Invitational. On the women's side, Ava Macke (SO/Omaha, Neb.) won the women's singles draw over teammate Brylee Lauby (SO/Lexington, Neb.), 9-8 in the championship match. Macke was the 3-seed for the tournament and Lauby was the 4-seed.

Lauby defeated the 1-seed, Meganne Nihart of Southwestern, in the semifinals, 8-4. Macke defeated Midland's Macey Glazebook, the 26-seed, 8-3 to advance to the finals. Glazebook knocked of the 2-seed in the quarterfinals.

Doane will host Bethel (Kan.) on Wednesday, September 25, beginning at 2:00 PM at the Newburg Held Tennis Courts on the Doane campus. This upcoming weekend the Tigers will compete at the Creighton Invitational in Omaha.