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BLACKSBURG, Va. -- The Virginia Tech women’s tennis team had a successful opening day at the 16th Annual Hokie Fall Invitational. The Hokies advanced three players to their respective singles semifinals and all three doubles teams won their opening round matches.

The event features 65 players from 10 teams and is being played at the Burrows-Burleson Tennis Center on the Virginia Tech campus. Both the indoor and outdoor courts are being utilized during the tournament with play beginning at 9 a.m. each day. Admission is free.

The tournament features players from Albany, Appalachian State, Davidson, East Tennessee State, Elon, Marshall, Radford, Tennessee Tech, Winthrop and Virginia Tech. The tournament includes participants from 20 countries around the globe.

In Flight A singles action, Christin Newman (Fr., Greensboro, N.C.) defeated Catherine Kellner (Marshall), 6-2, 6-3, in her opening match and advanced to semifinals with an impressive, 6-1, 6-1, victory over Ivana Tomaic (Radford). Newman will face Michaela Kissell (Marshall), ranked No. 36 nationally, at noon.

Elsewhere in Flight A, Yasmin Hamza (Jr., Cairo, Egypt) won, 6-0, 5-7, 6-3, against Elisa Simonetti (Elon) before losing to Kissell, 6-1, 6-2. Hamza will play Tomaic in the fifth-place bracket at noon. Also in Flight A, Martha Blakely (So., Reading, Pa.) lost a tough, 6-4, 1-6, 7-6 (6), contest to Ellie Linsell (Appalachian State) before bouncing back with a, 6-4, 7-6 (2), win in the consolation versus Petra Dajevic (Radford). Blakely will take on Lisa Wilkinson (Winthrop) at Noon.

Courtney Rauscher (So., Evans, Ga.) received a first round bye in Flight B then won, 6-1, 1-0, ret. inj. over Mia Drobnjak (Radford). Raucher battles Kristina Koprcina (Marshall) in a 12:30 p.m. semifinal. Shannon Betts (So., Newnan, Ga.) won her opening Flight B match, 6-0, 6-1, against Mirna Matic (Radford) before losing, 6-1, 6-2, to Diana Navrostskaya (East Tennessee State). Betts plays Jennifer Ansari (East Tennessee State) at 12:30 p.m. in the fifth-place bracket.

Katie Blow (So., Richmond, Ga.) opened her Flight C competition dropping a, 6-4, 7-5, decision to Ali Gores (Davidson) but bounced back with a, 6-4, 6-0, win over Amber Brooks (Albany). Blow will next play Laura Graybill (Elon) in the consolation.

Emily Lauten (Fr., Marietta, Ga.) defeated Hayley Wahl (Elon), 6-2, 6-1, in Flight D and advanced to the semifinals with a dominating, 6-0, 6-1, victory against Emerald Lauzon (Radford). Lauten will play at 1:30 p.m. in the semifinal against Victoria Cran (Tennessee Tech).

The Hokies opened the tournament by sweeping three doubles matches. Blow/Hamza won a tight Flight A match, 9-8 (7), over Kelly Holtzhausen/Diana Navrostskaya (East Tennessee State) while Blakely/Holly Johnson (Jr., Tallahassee, Fla,) received a first round bye and will not see their first action until Saturday morning.

Lauten/Newman defeated Katie Barnhill/Victoria Cran (Tennessee Tech), 8-1, in Flight B and Betts/Rauscher won, 8-3, in the same bracket over Aubrey Brooks/Caitlin Crawley (Albany). Saturday’s action opens with two rounds of doubles starting at 9 a.m. followed by one round of singles. Finals in all brackets are scheduled for Sunday.

For updates on Virginia Tech women's tennis, follow the Hokies on Twitter (@VT_WTennis).