West Palm Beach, Fl. – The College of Coastal Georgia women's tennis team had a successful showing at the September ITAs, which was hosted by Keiser University from the 24^th through the 27^th. A number of Mariners advanced in singles and doubles competition, with Coastal Georgia being well-represented as the high-profile tournament progressed. Senior Luna Feillon, junior Versace Gatti, senior Karlie Scott Kersey, junior Defne Ursan and freshman Elaine Warren all had winning performances.
 
Gatti, who was seeded 7^th individually at the event, made a triumphant return to collegiate competition after nearly two full years away due to injury. She advanced to the quarterfinals in singles play. Fellion had, arguably, the victory of the weekend, upending 4^th seeded Jenesie Burgos of St. Thomas in the round of 32. Ursan also made a notable run to the round 16 in singles. In doubles, Gatti and Ursan advanced to the quarterfinal of tournament pairings. Kersey, like Gatti and Ursan, was also impactful in singles and doubles competition, winning opening round matches in both. Warren teamed with Kersey for their doubles win.
 
Individually and collectively, Coastal Georgia, despite dealing with some injuries teamwide, made a statement amongst some of the top players and programs in the sport.  
 
"KS showed great senior leadership, helping our freshman Elaine Warren in doubles. KS was struggling with a high-ankle sprain, but really fought through it and represented herself and the school at a high level. Defne, going to be a tremendous player for us in the future, got off to a good start, played some tough matches. Just has a beautiful game and earned a lot of respect throughout the conference. Luna has just been the ultimate competitor. Beating the four-seed puts her in the top tier of our conference already. And even in the match that she lost, had a close, heartbreaking three-set match where she still represented the Mariners and the championship culture that we're trying to develop. Same thing with Versace. So much power and talent. A wealth of potential that started to shine through in this tournament after having basically a two-year hiatus from collegiate competition, is looking to get into really great form and will continue to impress. Definitely will be one of the top tier players in the entire country in the NAIA," CCGA head coach Courtney Rutherford shared. "Just really excited about the women's team and all the toughness and resilience that they showed and earning respect throughout the conference from the other coaches and players."
 
Coastal Georgia now has tangible momentum to combine with the talent and experience on the roster. Expectations are on the rise.
 
"It was a really exciting start to this season. The women's team is performing, competing at a very high level, already. I see the ability for us to pull of many upsets and really be a force in the Sun Conference, which would make us one of the best teams in the country."
 
The Mariners will return to action the weekend of October 10th, at home to host the HP Tour.