Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina women's tennis junior Isabella Sambola rolled to her second-consecutive ITA Summer Circuit crown on her home courts. Sambola strung together eight, straight-set victories across her four matchups in claiming her second summer crown.
Following a first-round bye as the top-seeded student-athlete going into the summer competition, Sambola was tested early in her first match. The standout Catamount took a 6-2 set one victory over Granger, Ind., native Ashikha Amalnathan to open play before battling to a 7-5 set two win to advance.
That would prove to be the closest set of Sambola's summer run as she cruised in her three remaining matchups. Sambola took set victories by scores of 6-1, 6-0 in the quarterfinals, posted a pair of 6-2 set wins in the semifinals, and closed the open singles bracket with a 6-0, 6-1 win in the championship bout with fourth-seeded Elena Hartley out of Myrtle Beach, S.C.
Paired with Brooke Murphy from Stanley, N.C., WCU's Sambola additionally advanced to the finals in the summer open doubles competition as the No. 1 seed.
Sambola has acquired a collection of accolades during her time in Cullowhee. The 2023 Southern Conference Freshman of the Year was named to the SoCon All-Freshman team the same season and now has two ITA summer titles to her name. She has compiled 18 wins on the singles courts and will look to add to her total in the spring season.
Championship Run – Cullowhee, N.C.
Round 1: BYE
Round 2: Isabella Sambola def. Ashika Amalnathan (Granger, Ind.) – 6-2, 7-5
Round 3 (Quarterfinals): Isabella Sambola def. Kate Johnson (Mt. Pleasant, S.C.) – 6-1, 6-0
Round 4 (Semifinals): Isabella Sambola def. Emme Bull (Augusta, Ga.) – 6-2, 6-2
Round 5 (Championship): Isabella Sambola def. Elena Hartley (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) – 6-0, 6-1
For the latest information on Catamount women's tennis, follow @catamounts or @catamountTennis on Twitter or go to www.catamountsports.com. In-match updates are on the Catamount women's tennis official tennis Twitter page.
