FREDERICKSBURG, Va. -- In one of the most impressive performances by CNU women's tennis at the ITA Southeast Regional Championships, three Captains advanced to the Round of 16 in the championship draw and will play for a chance to appear in the quarterfinals on Saturday. Junior Johanna Ranta-aho, already making history as the first CNU player to enter the event as the top seed, led the way with junior Olivia Reed and rookie Amanda Yermal, going 2-0 on the opening day. 

One of the highlights of the day came from the freshman, as Amanda Yermal toppled the No. 2 seed in her second round matchup. After dispatching of Virginia Wesleyan's Makayla Velic (6-0, 6-0), Yermal was pit against the Generals' Valerie Marshall in the second round. Making her collegiate debut after both of CNU's fall events were cancelled due to weather, Yermal made an impressive statement with a 7-6 (4), 7-5 win over Marshall to advance to the Round of 16. She will face Sophia Strickland (Johns Hopkins) at 2:00 pm on Sunday with a quarterfinal berth on the line. 

Also going 2-0 in the championship draw was junior transfer Olivia Reed, who breezed through her first round match against Cecilia Cress (Washington College) in straight sets, 6-0, 6-0. She then defeated No. 3 seed Sophie Brown (Swarthmore) by a final score of 6-4, 6-3, and will take on Carnegie Mellon's Beata Liberchuk in her first singles match Sunday. 

Finally, top-seeded Johanna Ranta-aho dropped just seven games in her two matches on the first day. She defeated Southern Virginia's Rachel Neeleman (6-0, 6-1) and Swarthmore's Julia Gokhberg (6-4, 6-2). The Captains' leader will take on 16th-seeded Alex Iordache (Carnegie Mellon) at 12:30 pm on Sunday. 

Newcomer Allison Burgess also earned one win in the championship draw before bowing out in the Round of 32. In Flight B, Sydney Sawyer earned a win over top-seeded Rachel Hechinger (Swarthmore) to advance to the flight quarterfinals, 8-1. 

In doubles play, CNU advanced just one of their four tandems entered in the championship draw, as Ranta-aho and Reed paired for an 8-3 win over Mary Hampton McNeal and Gabby Moore (Washington & Lee). The duo would fall in the Round of 16 while the other three pairings will pick back up in the consolation bracket on Sunday. 

Rookies Ana Clara Borga and Maygan Brewer paired up for two wins in the Flight B doubles bracket, reaching the semifinals. First, they downed Rachel Hechinger and Arya Jemal (Swarthmore), 8-5, and then dropped Lydia Fox and Emily Sprage (Dickinson), 8-6. The Captains' tandem will face top-seeded Heidi Sarkkinen and Eleanor Crane in the Flight B semifinals on Sunday at 9:30 am. 

Scores and a full recap of the second day of action from the University of Mary Washington will be available on CNUsports.com after play on Sunday.