SUMTER, S.C. | The Georgia College & State University women's tennis team opened their fall schedule this past weekend at the Intercollegiate Tennis Association NCAA Division II Southeast Region Championships at the Palmetto Tennis Center.

The Bobcats had two players - Ashley Bentz and Rachel Black - compete in singles and doubles.

Bentz, who was 16th in the 64-player singles draw, won her first match before falling to Columbus State University's Laura Pesickova 6-4, 6-2 in the round of 32.

The Bobcats return to action Friday (Oct. 3) at the Mercer Gridiron Classic in Macon, Georgia.

Below are the results from the ITA tournament:

Singles
Round of 64
Ainhoa Meili Fernandez (Middle Georgia State) def. Rachel Black (GCSU) 6-3, 6-0
Ashley Bentz (GCSU) (16) def. Alejandra Carmona Garcis (Barton) 6-1, 6-2

Round of 32
Laura Pesickova (Columbus State) def. Bentz (GCSU) (16) 6-4, 6-2

Doubles
Round of 32
Linn Goerdes/Vasillissa Kupriyanova (North Georgia) def. Ashley Bentz/Rachel Black (GCSU) (4) 8-3.

About GCSU Athletics
Owning the top Academic Success Rate among all public colleges and universities in Division II for four consecutive academic years, the Georgia College Department of Athletics sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. GCSU Athletics has won five consecutive Presidents' Awards for Academic Excellence, and are two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup and four-time winners of the PBC Institution of the Year Sportsmanship Award. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' continued appearances in postseason competition as well as high-level academic success and community-service involvement. Bobcat Athletics embodies the mantra of "Graduating Champions for Life." Sign up at @GCSUBobcats on all social media outlets for up-to-the-minute reports or subscribe to the GSCU Athletics e-newsletter to receive the latest news, schedule updates and to interact with GCSU Athletics.