The Illinois Springfield women's tennis team closed out its fall season at the Dwight Davis College Open in St. Louis, battling through a rain-shortened weekend that condensed all remaining rounds into a busy Sunday.

Despite losing an entire day of play on Saturday, the Prairie Stars made the most of their final competition of the fall schedule with several strong singles and doubles performances.

Singles Recap
In Flight Purple, Cristina Mendoza Romero was forced to retire in the first set of her Sunday quarterfinal match against Gemma Elisabetta Ricci after a hard-fought opening-round victory on Friday. Maria Garcia Gama advanced through the consolation draw after her quarterfinal opponent withdrew, then earned a 7-5, 6-1 win over Lucy Paro in the semifinal. She finished as a consolation finalist before the final match was canceled due to rain.

In Flight Pink, Alisha Deogaonkar dropped a 6-0, 6-1 decision to Amber Edmonds in the quarterfinals, while Ema Norma Bordean fell 6-2, 7(7)-6(4) in a close match against Hallie Jeffers.

In Flight Sky, Niamh Grogan advanced to the semifinals after her opponent retired while leading 6-1, 4-1 in the quarterfinal. She then fell 6-1, 7-5 to Samantha Slowik in a competitive semifinal match. Jane Carter advanced through the consolation rounds by byes before earning a 6-4, 2-6, 10-5 win over Yvonne Shannon in the consolation semifinal.

Doubles Play

The UIS doubles teams delivered a strong showing on Sunday after the entire Saturday slate was washed out.
In Flight Purple East Quarterfinals, Ema Norma Bordean and Alisha Deogaonkar fell 6-4 to Yvonne Shannon and Melissa Jangarasheva, while Niamh Grogan and Jane Carter also dropped a close 6-4 match to Mariana Azevedo and Lucia Rubio.

In the same round, Maria Garcia Gama competed alongside Madeleine Morgan of Ann Arbor, Michigan. The pair won their Sunday quarterfinal 6-1 before falling 6-3 in the semifinal.

Bordean and Deogaonkar bounced back with a dominant 6-0 win over Natalie Haug and Lucy Paro in the West Semifinal. Grogan and Carter also advanced with a 6-2 victory against Luana Luersen Chaves Souza and Grace Brown. The two UIS duos were set to face each other in the West Final, but the match was canceled due to the rain-shortened schedule.

Despite the weather interruptions, the Prairie Stars gained valuable match experience and momentum heading into the championship season this spring. The Dwight Davis College Open marked the conclusion of the 2025 fall tennis schedule.