HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Six members of the Southeastern Louisiana tennis team advanced to the finals of their singles flights, as the Lions put together an 11-1 performance in singles play on the opening day of the Southern Miss Halloween Classic, hosted by USM.
 
Friday saw freshman Nastya Tokareva, freshman Reginka Nychytailova, freshman Renee Villarreal, sophomore Adriana Castillo, sophomore Morgane Charpenne and senior Isabel Brito all advance to the finals of their respective draws.
 
Southeastern head coach Jason Hayes was pleased with his team's performance against a talented field that features four of the Lions' Southland Conference rivals.
 
“In my 11 seasons here, we've never had a day like this in the fall,” Hayes commented. “When you consider the performance alongside the level of competition we're facing, we are very pleased with the effort.”
 
In the Black Draw, Tokareva received a bye when her first round opponent pulled out. In the semifinals, she rolled to a 6-3, 6-4 victory over Lamar's Carolina Salas. Tokareva will face Parija Maloo of Nicholls State in the 11 a.m. finals on Saturday.
 
Nychytailova opened play in the Green Draw with a 6-0, 6-3 win over Sasha Ruocco of Central Arkansas. Later in the day, she made short work of Louisiana-Lafayette's Melissa Burchhartt in a 6-2, 6-1 victory. Louisiana-Monroe's Silvia Tumova awaits Nychytailova in Saturday's 11 a.m. flight final.
 
Villarreal avenged a loss from earlier this fall when she battled past Justyna Kroi, 6-3, 4-6, 11-9 in the opening round of the Orange Draw. In the semifinals, Villarreal was too much for Isla Brock of Nicholls, defeating her future Southland rival, 6-1, 6-0, to set up a 9 a.m. final match with Lamar's Helene Czudek on Saturday.
 
Castillo received a bye into the semifinals of the Yellow Draw. In her lone match of the day, she outlasted Catherine Gauthier of Nicholls in a 6-1, 3-6, 10-2 victory. Lamar's Alessandra Pennesi will be Castillo's finals opponent on Saturday at 9 a.m.
 
Charpenne picked up a pair of victories to advance to the finals of the Red Draw. She opened the day with a 6-1, 6-3 win over Jackson State's Isidora Knezevic. In the semifinals, UCA's Stephanie Gonzalez retired after losing the first set, 6-4. The Red Draw finals will feature another Southeastern-Lamar matchup, as Charpenne faces Carolina Maso at 9 a.m.
 
Making her singles debut, Brito also scored a pair of wins in the Purple Draw. The team's lone senior earned wins over Kelly Tomlin of Jackson State and UCA's Bianca Strukelj. Brito will match up with Suzaan Stoltz of Murray State in the finals on Saturday at 9 a.m.
 
Freshman Sarah Kriem shook off an opening round loss to advance to the consolation finals of the Gold Draw. Kriem defeated Allison Murphy of Central Arkansas, 7-5, 6-4, and will face Lauren May of Southern Miss at 9 a.m. on Saturday.
 
The Lions' lone doubles win of the day came in the Peach Draw. Castillo and Villarreal teamed for an 8-2 victory over the Murray State pairing of Megan Blue and Ashley Canty. The Southeastern duo will match up with Maso and Alecia Porte in a 2 p.m. semifinal match on Saturday.