Florida State University Athletics
Thursday, November 5
Knoxville, TN.
Florida State
at
ITA Sectionals
11/9/2026 8:30:00 AM | Women's Tennis
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. - The Florida State women's tennis team concluded action at the ITA Sectional Championships at the Goodfriend Tennis Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Sunday afternoon. The Seminoles won a total of seven matches throughout the event.Â
Junior Mary Boyce Deatherage earned a bid to the NCAA Individual Championships with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Purdue's Reese Frank on Sunday afternoon. Deatherage began the event facing Mississippi State's Gianna Oboniye. After dropping the first set, Deatherage would win both the second and third sets to take the match 5-7, 6-3, 6-2. She would then go on to defeat Summer Chandler from Tulane 7-5, 6-4.Â
This marks the first time that Deatherage has qualified for the NCAA Individual Championships in her career and the second consecutive season that a member of the Florida State women's tennis team has qualified for the event, as Eva Shaw qualified last fall.Â
No. 94-ranked JoAnna Kennedy was Florida State's other singles participant. Kennedy cruised her way to a 6-0, 6-1 victory in the round of 32 against Miami's Anna Perelman.Â
Kennedy also saw doubles action, pairing up with senior Laura Putz. Kennedy and Putz took a first-round victory in two sets, 7-5, 6-3, against Georgia Tech's Eleni Karantali and Given Roach before falling in the quarterfinals.Â
The freshman duo of Ariana Gilbert and Nicole Okhtenberg made another deep run throughout the weekend, winning two consecutive matches via tiebreak on their way to their second semifinal appearance in two events.
The duo defeated Tennessee's Sarah Mildren and Alyson Shannon 6-4, 6-7 (5), 1-0 (3). They would follow this up by picking up a win against Indiana's Hiilani Williams and Elisabeth Dunac, 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (5).Â
The freshman duo fell just short in the 3-4 playoff, falling to Georgia's Patricija Paukstyte and Bella Payne 6-3, 5-7, 0-1 (11) in a back-and-forth affair and finished fourth in the doubles main draw bracket.Â
For more information on the Florida State women's tennis program, check Seminoles.com and follow us on social media at FSUWTennis (IG) and @FSU_WTennis (X).Â
Junior Mary Boyce Deatherage earned a bid to the NCAA Individual Championships with a 6-1, 6-0 win over Purdue's Reese Frank on Sunday afternoon. Deatherage began the event facing Mississippi State's Gianna Oboniye. After dropping the first set, Deatherage would win both the second and third sets to take the match 5-7, 6-3, 6-2. She would then go on to defeat Summer Chandler from Tulane 7-5, 6-4.Â
This marks the first time that Deatherage has qualified for the NCAA Individual Championships in her career and the second consecutive season that a member of the Florida State women's tennis team has qualified for the event, as Eva Shaw qualified last fall.Â
No. 94-ranked JoAnna Kennedy was Florida State's other singles participant. Kennedy cruised her way to a 6-0, 6-1 victory in the round of 32 against Miami's Anna Perelman.Â
Kennedy also saw doubles action, pairing up with senior Laura Putz. Kennedy and Putz took a first-round victory in two sets, 7-5, 6-3, against Georgia Tech's Eleni Karantali and Given Roach before falling in the quarterfinals.Â
The freshman duo of Ariana Gilbert and Nicole Okhtenberg made another deep run throughout the weekend, winning two consecutive matches via tiebreak on their way to their second semifinal appearance in two events.
The duo defeated Tennessee's Sarah Mildren and Alyson Shannon 6-4, 6-7 (5), 1-0 (3). They would follow this up by picking up a win against Indiana's Hiilani Williams and Elisabeth Dunac, 6-4, 2-6, 1-0 (5).Â
The freshman duo fell just short in the 3-4 playoff, falling to Georgia's Patricija Paukstyte and Bella Payne 6-3, 5-7, 0-1 (11) in a back-and-forth affair and finished fourth in the doubles main draw bracket.Â
For more information on the Florida State women's tennis program, check Seminoles.com and follow us on social media at FSUWTennis (IG) and @FSU_WTennis (X).Â
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
Sunday, November 08
Thursday, November 05
Thursday, November 05
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