October 5, 2016
Cerezo-Codina and Daxhelet qualify for main doubles draw at the ITA All-American
For the first time in program history, a Hokie pairing advanced into the main doubles draw

For the first time in program history, juniors Elena Cerezo-Codina and Caroline Daxhelet of the Virginia Tech women’s tennis team qualified for the main doubles draw on Wednesday, at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) Women’s All-American Championships, in Pacific Palisades, California.

Main Singles Bracket | Main Doubles Bracket | Qualifying Singles Bracket | Qualifying Doubles Bracket

Cerezo-Codina and Daxhelet recorded three victories over the course of two days at the Riviera Tennis Club and was one-of-four teams in a 32-team field that advanced to the main event. Of note, today’s qualification marked the first time in program history that a Hokie pairing advanced into the main doubles draw at the ITA All-American.

"I am extremely happy for Elena and Caroline," said head coach Terry Ann Zawacki-Woods. "They have competed and represented Virginia Tech so well this week with not only great tennis, but terrific composure and fight. With every match, they continue to show what they are capable of, and its been fun to watch them experience their success together.

"Mental toughness is huge in these tournaments. Every match is so tough, and it's a grind to play a ton of matches without a break. I believe this is a strength of this team. They (Elena and Caroline) both are so strong mentally and smart. They have that 'refuse to lose' mentality which makes them a tough team to play."

In the first round of the qualifying bracket, the doubles tandem claimed an 8-6 upset over Illinois’ No. 25 Louise Kwong and Ines Vias on Oct. 4. On day two, the duo captured an 8-4 decision against Tennessee’s Sadie Hammond and Eve Repic in the round of 16. After being down 1-5 in the final round of competition, Cerezo-Codina and Daxhelet made a resounding comeback to claim an 8-6 victory over Oregon’s Alyssa Torbita and Shweta Sangwan.

“After winning two matches today, we are so happy to be apart of the main draw,” Cerezo-Codina said. “We made history; it’s the first time a doubles team made it into the main draw. We are going to try and maintain the same intensity going into tomorrow’s matches. We are trusting each other a lot, and we are confident to go to the volley and create big points for ourselves.”

Of note, No. 96 Daxhelet dropped a three-set battle to South Carolina’s No. 55 Ingrid Gamarra Martins by a score of 4-6, 6-0, 6-0. Daxhelet claimed the first set, but could not overcome Gamarra Martins in the final two sets to claim the victory in the third round of the qualifying singles bracket.

Senior Francesca Fusinato also will compete in the main singles draw. The Feltre Belluno, Italy, native earned a spot in the main draw when the selections were first released on Sept. 13.

The main draw will be held over a four-day span, as the top 32 players from across the country will battle for the 2016 Riviera/ITA All-American singles and doubles title.

The tournament resumes tomorrow at the Riviera Tennis Club, as the main singles and doubles brackets will be released later this evening.

A recap will be available following each day of competition at HokieSports.com. For more information on the Riviera ITA Women’s All-American Championships, visit ITAtennis.com.

Additionally, all action from the main draws will be streamed live on FloTennis.com.

Qualifying Doubles Bracket:

Elena Cerezo-Codina/Caroline Daxhelet (VT) def. Sadie Hammond/Eve Repic (UT), 8-4

Elena Cerezo-Codina/Caroline Daxhelet (VT) def. Alyssa Tobita/Shweta Sangwan (UO), 8-6

Qualifying Singles Bracket:

No. 55 Ingrid Gamarra Martins (USC) def. No. 96 Caroline Daxhelet (VT), 4-6, 6-0, 6-0

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