ROME, Ga. – Following their first ITA Regional sweep since 2010, the Gustavus women's tennis team qualified four athletes to the ITA National Cup, led by first-year Karina Elvestrom (Minnetonka), who competed in both the singles and doubles competition. The Gusties went winless on day one, but will continue competition against some of the best in the nation later this week. 

Elvestrom started the day off for the team, playing in the first round of the singles draw. Elvestrom matched up with Wesleyan University's Jacqueline Soloveychik, winner of the ITA's New England regional tournament. Soloveychik, a part of last season's Wesleyan team that finished as NCAA national runners-up, took set one 6-2. Soloveychik was nearly perfect in set two, dealing Elvestrom a 6-1 defeat in the second set of her first ITA Cup. 

In the doubles play, partners and Midwest Regional Champions Elvestrom and Kaya De Bruijn (Jr., Maasland, Netherlands) faced Caitlin Bui and Eleanor Archer of Wash U, runners-up of the ITA Central Region. The Bears defeated the Gusties by a pair of 6-2 scores in the first round of the doubles competition. 

Meanwhile, teammates Molly Austin (Jr., Arden Hills) and Allison Szalay (Jr., Des Moines, Iowa) played in one of the day's closest matches, facing national champions Sylwia and Oliwia Mikos of the University of Chicago. The sister duo claimed qualified for the ITA Cup via a Central Regional Championship. Austin and Szalay claimed the first set, 7-6, with a 7-3 advantage in the tiebreaker. The Maroons took set two, 6-3, before squashing the Gusties' hopes of advancing with a 16-14 victory to close things out. 

Both doubles teams will participate in the consolation draw on Friday, with matches starting at 4:30 p.m. CST. Elvestrom will compete in the singles consolation draw against Ruth Hill of Trinity Friday at 8 a.m.