ROME, Ga. - Coastal Alabama - South Women's Tennis newcomers Xaviera Melgar and Isabella Canedo advanced to the semifinals of the annual ITA Cup last week, earning two victories against top NJCAA competition at the national individual championship.

The Coyotes pair opened tournament play in the Round of 16 against the College of the Canyons in California. Melgar and Canedo controlled the match, securing a 6-3, 7-6 (1) victory to move into the quarterfinals.

In the quarterfinals, the Coastal Alabama duo faced the No. 4 seeds from Eastern Florida State College. Melgar and Canedo came out strong, taking the opening set 6-1 before Eastern Florida responded with a dominant 6-0 second-set win to force a third-set super tiebreaker.

The 'Yotes quickly seized control of the deciding tiebreaker, jumping out to a 6-0 advantage. Eastern Florida rallied to even the score at 6-6, but Melgar and Canedo stayed composed under pressure, leaning on consistent serving and returning to finish with a 10-6 win and punch their ticket to the semifinals.

There, Melgar and Canedo faced Tyler Junior College (Tex.), one of the most decorated programs in NJCAA Tennis with 21 national championships.

After falling behind early in the opening set, Melgar and Canedo responded with an aggressive approach in the second. The pair broke serve early but later found themselves trailing 4-1. Strong play at the net helped the Coyotes battle back to tie the set at 4-4 before Tyler ultimately secured a 6-4 decision to end Coastal Alabama's tournament run.

Coastal Alabama Head Tennis Coach Kouri Allen reflected on the duo's performance and the growth they demonstrated throughout the weekend.

"Xaviera and Isabella showed resilience throughout the tournament. Adversity in matches against national powerhouse programs is expected, but they showed maturity and growth all weekend," Allen said.

Melgar and Canedo's run to the ITA Cup semifinals marked a strong showing for the Coastal Alabama - South newcomers, who competed with some of the nation's top NJCAA talent and gained valuable experience on the national stage.
 

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