Blue Raider duo wins ITA Summer Circuit doubles bracket

KALAMAZOO, Mich. - The Middle Tennessee women's tennis tandem of Carla Nava and Yuiri Nomoto captured the doubles bracket title at the most recent stop of the ITA Summer Circuit presented by the USTA at Western Michigan in Kalamazoo, Mich.

Nava, a rising junior, and Nomoto, a rising sophomore, each completed their first seasons as Blue Raiders this past spring.

The duo was seeded fourth in the doubles flight, which featured 26 different doubles pairings. Some of the doubles groups were from the same school, like Nava and Nomoto, while others were mixed from other schools within the Midwest Circuit.

After receiving an opening-round bye, the Middle Tennessee duo knocked off Austin Peay's Rachel Margolies and Wisconsin-Whitewater's Kalla Schaefer, 8-5, to advance to the final eight.

The Blue Raiders kept their distance easily in their next match, handing Grand Valley State's Alexandra Rice and Memphis' Kathleen Hawkins an 8-3 setback to move on to the final four teams.

The momentum continued in the next round with an 8-1 triumph over the high school pairing of Yahsha Moore and Kai Broomfield, who advanced the farthest among the non-collegiate participants.

Nava and Nomoto were then pitted against No. 3 seed Fiden Manashirova and Gabby Steele of Ohio State. The Middle Tennessee tandem cruised through the match, knocking off the higher-seeded Buckeyes, 8-3, to win the title.

The Western Michigan stop was the second of four along the Midwest Circuit this summer. The next tournament will be held Saturday-Monday at Ohio State in Columbus, Ohio.

Follow the Blue Raiders on Twitter @MTAthletics for continued updates.