Oct. 23, 2008

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. --- Freshman Haley Hemm won two matches Wednesday to advance to the qualifying singles draw of the Wilson/ITA Regional Championships at Wake Forest's Indoor Tennis Center. Hemm, a native of Menlo Park, Calif., will face East Carolina's Brooke Walter in Thursday's qualifying draw.

Hemm defeated USC-Upstate's Emilia Milovanovic, 6-4, 6-2, before downing Tatiana Denezhkina of Tennessee Tech, 6-2, 7-6 (2). The wins came the first matches of Hemm's collegiate career.

Also in action Wednesday was junior Linzee Mabrey, who fell to Middle Tennessee's Andrea Herrera, 6-3, 6-3.

In addition to Hemm, a slew of Tar Heels will begin play on Thursday. Senior Meg Fanjoy, sophomore Jelena Durisic and freshman Jocelyn Ffriend will compete in the qualifying singles draw, with two wins giving each player a spot in the main draw. In the doubles main draw, four UNC tandems will see the court. Hemm and senior Laura Reichert, Friend and senior Hanes Harris, Durisic and Mabrey, and the seeded duo of Fanjoy and fellow senior Austin Smith will begin play in the round of 64.

Wilson/ITA Regional Championships
Singles Prequalifying Draw
Andrea Herrera (MTSU) def. Linzee Mabrey (UNC), 6-3, 6-3
Haley Hemm (UNC) def. Emilia Milovanovic (USC-U), 6-4, 6-2
Haley Hemm (UNC) def. Tatiana Denezhkina (TTU), 6-2, 7-6 (2)
Hemm advances to Qualifying Draw