Ane´ Dannhauser poses for the 2025 media day
Courtesy | Hillsdale Athletic Department

The Hillsdale women’s tennis team won 24 matches at Davenport University’s ITA Midwest Regional, with junior Ané Dannhauser making the longest run in team history with four straight wins in the top A bracket. 

Dannhauser was initially the fifth seed in the top A bracket. One of her four wins included the 10th seed, before falling in the semifinals to the first seed. 

“There were multiple shifts of momentum during all my matches,” Dannhauser said. “But I managed to keep my cool and focus on one point at a time, and that helped me get through everything over the weekend.” 

Sophomore Briana Rees also found success in the A singles bracket, defeating her competitor from the University of Illinois, Springfield, in two matches in the consolation bracket. 

In the B singles draw, freshman Dimitra Papastavrou and sophomores Julia Zlateva and Emma Palus won seven matches. Papastavrou won her opening round match in the B draw in two sets over her competitor from Quincy University, before being defeated in the second round by the top-seeded player. Zlateva defeated opponents from the University of Illinois-Springfield, Davenport University, and even the third-seed competitor from Grand Valley State University, before losing in the quarterfinals. 

Palus lost her opening-round match in the B draw but picked up three straight victories in the consolation bracket by defeating her competitor from Michigan Technological University and two from Tiffin University, before losing in the semifinals.  

“I definitely will work on my physical endurance,” Palus said. “We played a lot of matches and I could feel the soreness already on the second day, and I still had a couple more matches to play.” 

In the C draw for singles, freshman Sydney Singh drew the top seed for Hillsdale. Although she lost her initial match in an upset, Singh won four straight matches in the consolation bracket. 

“We bonded a lot at that tournament,” Singh said. “I feel like the team has become a lot more like a second family.” 

For the A doubles bracket, Dannhauser and Rees defeated both a team from Grand Valley State University and a team from Saginaw Valley State University before falling in the quarterfinal round. 

In the B doubles bracket, both Papastavrou and freshman Esther Sura and senior duo Megan Hackman and Isabella Spinazze picked up at least one main draw win. Hackman and Spinazze won an 8-0 opening round match over a team from Davenport University before losing their second match against a team from McKendree University. Papastavrou and Sura made it to the quarterfinals. 

In the C doubles bracket, the pair of Zlateva and Palus won the main draw title for the Chargers after three intense matches. 

The tournament was the final event of the fall season. The Chargers will compete next on Jan. 31 at home against Michigan Technological University.