Callejo-Vivar’s upset highlights six-win day
No. 12 Mississippi Gulf Coast got off to a good start Saturday at the NJCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship in Tyler, Texas.
The Bulldogs won six of nine matches, highlighted by Valeria Callejo-Vivar knocking off the fourth-seeded player in the No. 2 singles bracket.
"We played really well," Gulf Coast coach Sam Blackburn said. "Everybody on every court played good tennis today, and we really pulled out some good wins. Every match was very competitive, and it was very fun to see the girls bringing it on the first day of nationals."
Gulf Coast is tied for third after the first day. The Bulldogs have 12 points, matching Hinds and Iowa Central. Jones is four points ahead in first place, and Wallace State is second.
Callejo-Vivar battled back from dropping the first set and being down 3-0 in the third to beat St. Petersburg College's Maria Moskaltsova 1-6, 6-2, 7-5.
"Valeria had to play her game, and she played it really well," Blackburn said. "She didn't do anything different. She played her game, but she just played it at a very high level. That's a very big one for Valeria."
It's the highest-ranked player a Gulf Coast player has beaten in recent history. It's the first win over a seeded player since Hayden Hensarling beat an eight-seed in No. 4 singles in 2023. Margarita Lopareva also beat an eight-seed in 2018 on the way to the main draw semifinals in No. 2 singles.
Danique Vermue (So., 's-Heerenhoek, Netherlands/Scheldemon College) beat a tough Iowa Central player at No. 1 singles, winning 6-4, 6-3. Isona Arnaus (Fr., Barcelona, Spain/Centre Lopez Vicuna) won her No. 3 singles match easily, 6-1, 6-1.
Dallas Tanner (So., Hattiesburg/Oak Grove) did even better in her No. 5 singles match, advancing over Pratt's Hailey Petersilie without dropping a game.
Callejo-Vivar and Vermue won 6-1, 6-0 at No. 1 doubles, and Tanner and Mikenzy Dubrow (So., Biloxi/Biloxi) cruised 6-4, 6-1 at No. 3.
The Bulldogs who lost Saturday will continue play in the consolation draw, hoping to add a half-point to the total with each win. Five of the six winners from the first day will face seeded opponents in the round of 16.
2025 NJCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championship
Tyler, Texas
May 3-7
Saturday
Main Draw First Round
Singles
No. 1: Danique Vermue (GC) def. Danira Kenmeni (Iowa Central), 6-4, 6-3
No. 2: Valeria Callejo-Vivar (GC) def. #4 Maria Moskaltsova (St. Petersburg), 1-6, 6-2, 7-5
No. 3: Isona Arnaus (GC) def. Diana Souza (Barton County), 6-1, 6-1
No. 4: #8 Thais Mitlmeier (Eastern Florida) def. Lauren Sullivan (GC), 6-1, 6-4
No. 5: Dallas Tanner (GC) def. Hailey Petersilie (Pratt), 6-0, 6-0
No. 6: Mary Catherine Cameron (USC Sumter) def. Karla Bethea (GC), 7-5, 6-0
Doubles
No. 1: Valeria Callejo-Vivar-Danique Vermue (GC) def. Ady Preston-Oriana Roldan (Bevill State), 6-1, 6-0
No. 2: Nikoletta Pytel-Marie-Alix Urcun (Collin) def. Isona Arnaus-Lauren Sullivan (GC), 6-2, 7-6
No. 3: Mikenzy Dubrow-Dallas Tanner (GC) def. Sadie Anthony-Samantha Parris (Coastal Alabama-South), 6-4, 6-1
Sunday
Main Draw Round of 16
Singles
No. 1: Danique Vermue (GC) vs. #8 Claire Mahere (Weatherford), 8 a.m.
No. 2: Valeria Callejo-Vivar (GC) vs. Sophia Baillos (Wallace State), 8 a.m.
No. 3: Isona Arnaus (GC) vs. #8 Ebonie Russell (Pratt), 9:15 am
No. 5: Dallas Tanner (GC) vs. #8 Emma Garcia Gomez (Iowa Central), 10:30 a.m.
Doubles
No. 1: Valeria Callejo-Vivar-Danique Vermue (GC) vs. #7 Maria Gento-Elena Martinez Prado (Eastern Florida State), 11:45 a.m.
No. 3: Mikenzy Dubrow-Dallas Tanner (GC) vs. #4 Alyssa Glasgow-Marqaylar Tere (Collin), 1 p.m.
Consolation Draw
No. 4: Lauren Sullivan (GC) vs. Maya Morris (Moraine Valley), 2:30 p.m.
Doubles
No. 2: Isona Arnaus-Lauren Sullivan (GC) vs. #7 Rosaline Akombo-Mazamesso Tchamoussa (Iowa Central), 3:30 p.m.
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