Fourteen spots in the NCAA singles championship were claimed in the first week of women’s regional play, along with seven spots in the doubles championship.
Finalists in singles punched their ticket to NCAAs, while doubles teams had to win the regional final. Some paths were easier than others. Some regions brought more intrigue than the rest based on the caliber of talent and storylines present to begin the 2026-27 college tennis season.
The top two on that list were the Southeast Region and the Midwest Region. Both saw one school dominate and take the two available singles slots and the doubles slot. But their paths there were not filled with cupcakes.
In the Midwest, Michigan asserted itself as a dominant power as No. 6 Piper Charney ran through the field, not dropping a set. Outside of a match against her teammate who played her close, Gabriella Vanessa Lindgren, she only lost six games total in the other four matches. That came after Charney had struggled to get going in her first few events of the fall season as she lost three of her first four matches.
Someone who entered Regionals on a tear, the No. 2 seed (36) Ekaterina Ivanova (Wisconsin) crashed the Wolverines’ party, pushing her way into the final. But the Russian junior had already qualified for NCAAs as a quarterfinalist at All-Americans, so the semifinal losers competed for her spot in the singles championship draw — Olivia Traynor (Michigan) and Ariel Madatali (Illinois). The freshman, Traynor, put her name on the map as she joined Charney with her ticket punched to Athens.
Charney and doubles mate Reese Miller dominated their final two matches versus No. 6 seed Ivanova/Reynoldson and No. 9 seed Audrey Spencer/Anna Bennett.
The Southeast Region gave a similar result of no diversity in team qualification, and also provided a freshman qualifier. But the real storyline there was the caliber of names present: No. 11 Jana Hossam Salah (Florida), No. 17 Valery Gynina (Florida), No. 27 Deniz Dilek (who is coming off a massive result at a WTA125) (Georgia), No. 30 Gabia Paskauskas (Florida), No. 54 Emma Dong (Georgia), No. 77 Jantje Tilbuerger (UCF), not to mention star newcomer Bella Payne (Georgia) and returners Michaela Laki (Miami) and Raquel Gonzalez (Miami).
The Miami pairing took down the top Gators as Laki dropped Gynina in her second tournament with the Hurricanes after transferring from NC State, and Gonzalez felled Hossam Salah in her first match as a fifth-year. Gonzalez was temporarily granted eligibility in the Monroe, Indiana County court ruling, which gave a slew of Class of 2022 seniors one more season of eligibility (until the NCAA successfully protests in court).
Dong and Payne secured the singles bids after each taking down a Georgia teammate, while Dong double qualified as her and Ranah Akua Stoiber got the job done in the doubles draw.
In the New England Region, Stephanie Yakoff (Harvard) secured a berth in the NCAA singles draw for the second year in a row, while also earning a spot in the doubles draw alongside teammate Kavya Karra. The other singles qualifier was Lauren Kettlewell of Boston University.
In the Northwest, Marie Weissheim (Washington) solidified herself as more than just a stellar doubles player, punching her ticket. No. 2 seed (29) Alyssa Ahn (Stanford) claimed the other singles spot, while Huskie duo Nela Jandova/Marina Markina (Washington) got the job done in doubles.
Kentucky made a great showing in the Ohio Valley, with top talent in (56) Julia Zhu and Donna Le Roux claiming the singles spots. Sophia Webster (Vanderbilt) made her way back into the NCAA doubles draw after she reached the NCAA semifinals last year with Celia-Belle Mohr. This time, she gets there with Valeria Ray as the No. 29 ranked duo.
The Southern Regional was the only site to see three different schools earn a bid, as (34) Ashton Bowers (Auburn) and Alice Battesti (Ole Miss) got to the singles final, while Gianna Oboniye/Athina Pitta (MIssissippi State) won the doubles draw.
The Texas Regional also hosted some familiar names: Na Dong (Baylor), (43) Sophie Llewellyn (SMU), (53) Zuzanna Kubacha (Baylor) — but ultimately, it was (93) Divna Ratkovic (Rice) and Memphis transfer Sofiia Mykhailets (TCU) who earned the singles bids. Mykhailets also qualified in doubles alongside Cristina Ramos Sierra.
Ultimately, four players qualified for both singles and doubles in the first batch of women’s Regionals: Charney, Yakoff, Emma Dong and Mykhailets.
Other NCAA Qualifiers
Midwest – Piper Charney (Michigan) and Olivia Traynor (Michigan) — Piper Charney / Reese Miller (Michigan)
New England – Lauren Kettlewell (Boston University) and Stephanie Yakoff (Harvard) — Stephanie Yakoff / Kavya Karra (Harvard)
Northwest – Marie Weissheim (Washington) and Alyssa Ahn (Stanford) — Nela Jandova / Marina Markina (Washington)
Ohio Valley – Julia Zhu (Kentucky) and Donna Le Roux (Kentucky) — Valeria Ray / Sophia Webster (Vanderbilt)
Southeast – Bella Payne (Georgia) and Emma Dong (Georgia) — Emma Dong / Ranah Akua Stoiber (Georgia)
Southern – Ashton Bowers (Auburn) and Alice Battesti (Ole Miss) — Gianna Oboniye / Athina Pitta (Mississippi State)
Texas – Divna Ratkovic (Rice) and Sofiia Mykhailets (TCU) — Sofiia Mykhailets / Cristina Ramos Sierra (TCU)
