ROME, Ga. – Into the second day of competition at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's 2019 ITA Cup, Friday delivered more of the same for the pair of Nova Southeastern tennis players, Natalie Espinal and Sarah Wardenburg, as they surged forward in the elite singles and doubles bracket. With her crucial singles win, Espinal moves on for a massive rematch in the semifinal. Afternoon victory by the duo pushed NSU on to the doubles final at the Rome Tennis Center at Berry College.
 
Invited student-athletes at the 2019 ITA Cup are battling for an opportunity to qualify for the Oracle ITA National Fall Championships, where they will compete in the same tournament as the nation's top Division I players. At the Rome Tennis Center this weekend, the tournament features the top 16 performers in both singles and doubles play.
 
Singles Play
After splitting the match in her second set against Azusa Pacific's Anna Savchenko, Espinal (sophomore - Tegucigalpa, Honduras), delivered the crucial win in the third set to claim the 6-1, 4-6, 6-2 victory and advance to the semifinal round. Already making the first appearance for NSU in the event's singles competition, Espinal is building on a strong start after upsetting top-seeded Kim All-American Moosbacher (Oklahoma Baptist) in the opener. Now she moves on to Saturday's semis and a key Regional rematch with the reigning No. 1 player in NCAA Division II, Berta Bonardi. Espinal took the 6-4, 6-0 win over Bonardi in last month's ITA South Regional semifinal – dealing only the second career loss to the nation's top player.
 
Espinal and Bonardi are set to square off again on Saturday morning at 8:00 a.m. Bonardi topped Tusculum's Annie McCullough, 6-3, 6-2.
 
Doubles Play
The Sharks returned to action at 3:15 p.m. in doubles with Espinal alongside partner Wardenburg (Senior – Waikato, New Zealand), claiming the 6-4, 6-1 victory over Angelo State's Valentina Gonzalez and Ena Ovcina to advance to the doubles final – bringing their doubles record to 3-0 in Rome.

The pair will hit the courts again on Saturday at 10:30 a.m. with a matchup against Tusculum's Annie and Caitlyn McCullough, who downed Indianapolis' No. 4-seeded tandem of Nikol Alekseeva and Anna Novikova in their semifinal, 6-4, 7-6 (9).

Direct From Coach Doug Neagle
"Proud how Natalie found a way to win her singles this morning. Then Sarah & Natalie played well in their doubles. They fed off each other and it was fun to watch. These two are not satisfied yet, and will continue to work one match at a time."
 
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