ITA Cup Bracket
 
ROME, Ga. – Slippery Rock University women's tennis standout Amaia Balaguer Brau kept her championship hopes alive with an opening-round win Thursday on day one of the Intercollegiate Tennis Association Cup at the Rome Tennis Center in Rome, Georgia.
 
Balaguer Brau had a near flawless performance in her first-round match against Academy of Art's Amelija Supulniece, who closed last season as the 14th-ranked athlete in NCAA Division II and was the ITA Cup's second seed, that resulted in a 6-1, 6-2 victory.
 
The opening-round victory sends Balaguer Brau into the ITA Cup's quarterfinal round where she will meet Ashleigh Simes of Lee University. Simes defeated Anamarija Kovacevic of Findlay in three sets 1-6, 6-4, 7-5. Simes ended last year ranked 52nd in the nation.
 
A win against Simes would vault Balaguer Brau into the tournament's semifinals against either Jessica Binzari (Midwestern State) or Dana Heimen (Flagler).
 
Formerly known as the Small College Nationals, the ITA Cup has history dating back to 1986, and it is the only singles and doubles national championship event for the Division II and NAIA levels.
 
The ITA Cup features the champions from 60 regional ITA Championships and select at-large qualifiers from Division II, Division III, NAIA and NJCAA. Balaguer Brau earned her spot at the ITA Cup after winning the ITA Atlantic Region title earlier in the season.
 
Thursday's win was the ninth for Balaguer Brau of her 10 matches this season. Victories have been plentiful for Balaguer Brau over her collegiate career as the junior has a career singles record of 47-14 (.770) between her two years at The Rock and freshman year at St. Thomas Aquinas.
 
The Balaguer Brau – Simes match is scheduled for a 9 a.m. Friday start time.




To stay up to date with all that happens at The Rock, follow our official Athletic Communication accounts on 'X' (formerly Twitter, @Rock_Athletics), Facebook (RockAthletics) and Instagram (RockAthletics).