Collin College Tennis earned bids to the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Tournament in Rome, Georgia, with performances in regional competition, Sept. 26-28. The men's and women's teams are off to a strong start, according to Coach Jamie Nanez.
Players Jose Perez Castillo and Cem Atlamis qualified in doubles for the ITA National Tournament, which will take place Oct. 10-13. The two are a No. 2 seed in the tournament.
"Winning the draw is a pretty big accomplishment. I don't know the last time we did that," Nanez said.
Sophomore Minjae Kim reached the semi-finals in the Men's Singles Main Draw and was awarded an at-large bid in the ITA National Tournament. He is a No. 3 seed.
Other standout players in the tournament included:
- Harry Stokes, who finished as a finalist for the Men's B Draw Singles.
- Luke Stula and Enrique Doldan, who won the Men's Doubles Consolation.
- Camila Luzardo and Marqaylar Tere, who won the Women's Doubles Consolation.
The players accomplished those finishes at a tournament that contained five of the top 10 teams in the country. Cowley College and Seward County Community College participated in this tournament rather than in their own region's tournament.
"It was a very tough tournament in terms of competitive play," Nanez said.
Overall, Nanez is pleased with how the teams are starting the season.
He said the women's team is stronger this year than last year, both in terms of the number of players and their physical dominance on the court.
"The one thing that stands out when you look at other teams is their ability to serve, their speed, and the size of their players," Nanez said. "That was one of the things I wanted to incorporate in this year's recruiting class, and I think we did that."
He said he's been impressed with the way the players have stepped up in the Marty Berryman Classic and the ITA regionals.
Marqaylar Tere, a freshman, beat Collin Tennis alum Larissa Giraldi at the Marty Berryman Classic. Giraldi had finished Top 10 in the nation at Collin before moving on to Southeastern Oklahoma State in Fall 2023.
Tere also played well against the eventual regional winner, Candy Wai, from Tyler Junior College.
"Marqaylar has more in her toolbox than what she is using," Nanez said. "I think it's about helping her mature in her match play tactics."
Marie-Alix Urcun did well in doubles, and Nanez said, "She has a big serve."
"It will be interesting to see her play develop," Nanez said, adding that she has good physicality on the court.
He also called out freshmen Nikoletta Pytel and Luzardo for the strength of their serves. Nana Kusumoto is a transfer into the program, and both Alyssa Glasgow and Jinsol Yang are returners. All of them have played at this level before.
"We have experience from our sophomores and a lot of talent from our freshmen," Nanez said. "The experience that the sophomores have will help the freshmen, and the freshmen will help the sophomores by bringing a different kind of ball to the courts."
On the men's side, the top six players are sophomores. Atlamis is a transfer from Seward and brings a lot of skills. He joins a crew of solid returners in Castillo, Cristobal Tellez, Doldan, Stula, and Kim.
"I feel good about the guys," Nanez said. "They all know me. They know my expectations."
Nanez also complimented Santiago Martinez, who he said has continued to develop since being recruited over the summer. Martinez and Tellez did well in doubles at ITA Regionals, and he expects good things from the pair.
Nanez said that while there are always ways to improve, he likes the teams' chances this spring.
"I think that team-for-team, we are up there with some of the best teams in the country," he said. "Experience matters and I think we have a lot of experience on the men's and women's sides. I'm anxious to see that in the spring."