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EDMOND, Okla. — Harding University sophomore Alexia Zarate Valdez etched her name into the Lady Bison record books, becoming the first player in program history to reach the ITA Division II Central Regional Championship finals.
Zarate Valdez, a native of San Luis Potosi, Mexico, navigated a difficult Flight A singles match on Edmond Center Court. She won five matches and lost in the championship match to Amelie Gindle of Southern Arkansas 2-6, 2-6.
The sophomore’s impressive run began with a 7-6, 7-6 victory over Southern Arkansas University’s Josie Holderback in the round of 64. She then defeated Alexis Bernthal of Nebraska-Kearney 6-1, 6-2 and Dana Issabaeva of Newman University 6-1, 6-1. 6-3, Marielena Munsch of Northwest Missouri, 6-1, 6-7, 12-10.
Zarate Valdez’s performance surpassed the previous program-best mark set by Riley Cox, who reached the quarterfinals in 2018.
Harding junior Carly Lu also had a strong showing in Flight A singles, advancing to the quarterfinals with wins over Marija Hatouka of Nebraska-Kearney University, Ruxandra Tresk of Ouachita Baptist University and Smirte Bakaite of Augustana University.
In Flight B singles, senior Madison Stafford won four matches to advance to the semifinals before the rest of the tournament was canceled due to inclement weather.
In doubles, the Harding duo of Lou and Zarate Valdez shined for Flight A with an 8-2 win over Missouri Western and an 8-5 win over Central Oklahoma. She ultimately lost 8-3 to Washburn’s Isabella Martenson and Leonie Froese in the quarterfinals.
Harding’s next match is the GAC Individual Championship on Oct. 18-19. The Lady Bisons will host the tournament for the first time.
