FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — The historic season for the Tuskegee women's tennis team came to a close on Monday afternoon in the opening round of the NCAA Division II South Regional, as the Golden Tigers fell 4-0 to No. 2 seed Nova Southeastern at the NSU Tennis Complex at Rolling Hills.
Making their second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament after winning back-to-back SIAC Championships, Tuskegee entered the matchup as the No. 7 seed in the South Region, facing one of the top-ranked programs in the country in 21-3 Nova Southeastern.
The match began with doubles play, where the host Sharks quickly seized momentum. On court three, Taylor Ford and Gabrielle Geary were outpaced 6-0 by NSU's Habekovic and Moraes.
Shortly after, the No. 2 doubles pairing of Dayna Jackson and Gabrielle Blanks battled early but ultimately fell 6-3 to Dadoun and Shing, clinching the doubles point for the Sharks.
The top doubles match between Tuskegee's Tanyaradzwa Kaome and Leiloni Payton and NSU's nationally ranked duo of Ciancaglini and Hranacova went unfinished with the Sharks leading 3-0.
In singles play, Nova Southeastern wasted no time extending their lead. On court one, Hranacova defeated Kaome 6-0, 6-1.
Blanks fell on court two to Sofia Shing, also by a 6-0, 6-1 margin. Leiloni Payton, playing at the third spot, fought through long rallies but came up short against Ciancaglini in straight sets, 6-1, 6-1, giving NSU the fourth and clinching point.
With the result decided, the remaining matches on courts four through six were left unfinished, though Tuskegee continued to show fight, including competitive points from Jackson, Ford, and Chloe Griffin-Harrington.
The Golden Tigers end their 2025 campaign with a 16-7 overall record and a 13-1 run through the SIAC slate, cementing their place as one of the top HBCU tennis programs in the region under head coach Gregory Green.
The team will return a talented core next season, having gained valuable experience competing on the national stage for a second straight year.
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