Thursday, November 5
Fort Worth, Texas
All Day
Texas Tech Athletics
at
ITA Sectionals
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November 04, 2026 | Women's Tennis
Valerie Shue and Jennifer Jackson head to ITA Sectionals; Five Headed to UNF Invitational
LUBBOCK, Texas — The Texas Tech women's tennis team is set for a split-squad weekend, with two Red Raiders traveling to Fort Worth for the ITA Central Sectionals and five heading to Florida for the UNF Invite.
ITA SECTIONALS
Freshman Valerie Shue and sophomore Jennifer Jackson will represent the Double T in Fort Worth, Texas, as the ITA Division I Sectional Championships take place November 5-8.
The 2026 ITA Sectional Championships will feature a 32-player singles main draw and a 16-team doubles main draw, with 24 singles players and 12 doubles teams earning qualification for the NCAA Championships.
Jackson enters the tournament following an impressive showing at the ITA Texas Regionals, where she led the Red Raiders in singles competition. The sophomore collected three consecutive straight-set victories to advance to the quarterfinals, opening her main-draw run with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Addison Yang Comiskey before earning a dominant 6-3, 6-0 victory against Lily Schultz. Jackson continued her momentum with a 6-1, 6-2 decision over Sydney Jara to secure her quarterfinal appearance. Her run ultimately came to an end against No. 98 Divna Ratkovic of Rice, who earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Shue, meanwhile, continues to gain valuable collegiate experience as she makes her way through her first season on the college courts. One of the most highly anticipated additions to the Red Raider roster, the freshman arrived in Lubbock as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 player in both New York and the East Region. She also made program history as the highest-ranked American recruit ever to join Texas Tech, adding to the excitement surrounding her collegiate debut.
SINGLES ROUND OF 32
Jennifer Jackson vs. Jessica Kovalick / 9:30 a.m.
Valerie Shue vs. Erica Jessel / 11:30 a.m.
UNF INVITE
Though the draws have yet to be announced, competition is set to begin Friday, Nov. 6, in Florida, with five Red Raiders set to represent Texas Tech: Ella Brownback, Polina Sleptsova, Kaili Teso, Teodora Prisadnikova and Laura Pop.
Pop heads into the tournament following a strong singles showing at the ITA Regionals, where she opened the weekend with back-to-back victories in qualifying to secure a spot in the main draw. The freshman began with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Giuliana Giardina before cruising to a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Alejandra Corroto Etchenique. In the main draw, Pop continued her momentum with a hard-fought three-set victory over Alexia Puiac, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, before her run came to an end against Nithesa Selvaraj, 6-2, 7-5.
Brownback and Sleptova headline the returning Red Raiders making the trip, with both looking to build on strong starts to their fall campaigns. Sleptova, in particular, has been on a tear, capturing singles titles in consecutive tournaments without dropping a set. After claiming the Flight C singles crown at the ACU Invitational on Sept. 20, the Red Raider carried that momentum into the Bedford Cup, where she secured another tournament title to extend her impressive fall run.
The tournament will utilize a compass-draw format, with each player competing in three rounds of singles and doubles. Doubles matches will consist of one set to six games with no-ad scoring and a tiebreak at 6-6, while singles matches will follow a best-of-three-set format with tiebreaks and no-ad scoring.
Competition is scheduled to run through Sunday, Nov. 9, with the following schedule:
Follow the Red Raiders: Keep up with Texas Tech women's tennis news at TexasTech.com and at the team's social media on Instagram, X and Facebook.
ITA SECTIONALS
Freshman Valerie Shue and sophomore Jennifer Jackson will represent the Double T in Fort Worth, Texas, as the ITA Division I Sectional Championships take place November 5-8.
The 2026 ITA Sectional Championships will feature a 32-player singles main draw and a 16-team doubles main draw, with 24 singles players and 12 doubles teams earning qualification for the NCAA Championships.
Jackson enters the tournament following an impressive showing at the ITA Texas Regionals, where she led the Red Raiders in singles competition. The sophomore collected three consecutive straight-set victories to advance to the quarterfinals, opening her main-draw run with a 7-5, 6-3 win over Addison Yang Comiskey before earning a dominant 6-3, 6-0 victory against Lily Schultz. Jackson continued her momentum with a 6-1, 6-2 decision over Sydney Jara to secure her quarterfinal appearance. Her run ultimately came to an end against No. 98 Divna Ratkovic of Rice, who earned a 6-3, 6-2 victory.
Shue, meanwhile, continues to gain valuable collegiate experience as she makes her way through her first season on the college courts. One of the most highly anticipated additions to the Red Raider roster, the freshman arrived in Lubbock as a five-star recruit and the No. 1 player in both New York and the East Region. She also made program history as the highest-ranked American recruit ever to join Texas Tech, adding to the excitement surrounding her collegiate debut.
SINGLES ROUND OF 32
Jennifer Jackson vs. Jessica Kovalick / 9:30 a.m.
Valerie Shue vs. Erica Jessel / 11:30 a.m.
UNF INVITE
Though the draws have yet to be announced, competition is set to begin Friday, Nov. 6, in Florida, with five Red Raiders set to represent Texas Tech: Ella Brownback, Polina Sleptsova, Kaili Teso, Teodora Prisadnikova and Laura Pop.
Pop heads into the tournament following a strong singles showing at the ITA Regionals, where she opened the weekend with back-to-back victories in qualifying to secure a spot in the main draw. The freshman began with a 6-3, 6-1 win over Giuliana Giardina before cruising to a 6-1, 6-1 victory against Alejandra Corroto Etchenique. In the main draw, Pop continued her momentum with a hard-fought three-set victory over Alexia Puiac, 7-6, 6-7, 6-3, before her run came to an end against Nithesa Selvaraj, 6-2, 7-5.
Brownback and Sleptova headline the returning Red Raiders making the trip, with both looking to build on strong starts to their fall campaigns. Sleptova, in particular, has been on a tear, capturing singles titles in consecutive tournaments without dropping a set. After claiming the Flight C singles crown at the ACU Invitational on Sept. 20, the Red Raider carried that momentum into the Bedford Cup, where she secured another tournament title to extend her impressive fall run.
The tournament will utilize a compass-draw format, with each player competing in three rounds of singles and doubles. Doubles matches will consist of one set to six games with no-ad scoring and a tiebreak at 6-6, while singles matches will follow a best-of-three-set format with tiebreaks and no-ad scoring.
Competition is scheduled to run through Sunday, Nov. 9, with the following schedule:
- Friday, Nov. 7: Two doubles rounds and one singles round
- Saturday, Nov. 8: One doubles round and one singles round
- Sunday, Nov. 9: One singles round
Follow the Red Raiders: Keep up with Texas Tech women's tennis news at TexasTech.com and at the team's social media on Instagram, X and Facebook.
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Players Mentioned
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
/ Women's Tennis
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