Shelton/Gaio Duo Knocks Off Fifth-Seeded Michigan Team in Day-Two Action at ITA Regional

Thursday, October 8

Champaign, Ill.

TBA

Bowling Green State University

ITA Regional

Photo by: Drake Harlett, BGSU Athletics

Shelton/Gaio Duo Knocks Off Fifth-Seeded Michigan Team in Day-Two Action at ITA Regional

October 09, 2026 | Women's Tennis

Tournament Central Live Stats & Streams

Falcon tandem advances to the round of 16

By: by Mike Cihon, BGSU Strategic Communications

URBANA, Ill. – A Bowling Green State University women's tennis doubles team pulled out a pair of victories on Friday (Oct. 9), in the process advancing to the Round of 16 at the 2026 ITA Midwest Regional. The event, hosted by the University of Illinois, is being held at the Atkins Tennis Center.

Junior Lucia Gaio and freshman McKenzie Shelton picked up a narrow win over Western Michigan's Frida Weijerman and Julie Hostakova in opening-round action, and that Falcon duo then went on to defeat the fifth-seeded team in the 64-team doubles bracket. The Gaio/Shelton tandem gutted out a win, 8-7 (8-6), over Michigan's Laura Rahnel and Olivia Taylor in the Round of 32

Gaio and Shelton move on to the Round of 16, where they will face Ohio State's Audrey Spencer and Anna Bennett on Saturday morning. The Spencer/Bennett duo is seeded ninth in the bracket.

Six members of the Falcons are participating in the regional, including seniors Libby Blair and Qianyu Liu, juniors Konstantina Adamopoulou and Gaio, sophomore Kiera Taylor and freshman Shelton.

Saturday's schedule will see the remaining eight doubles matches begin at 10:00 a.m. ET, with two rounds of main draw singles starting at 11:00 a.m. ET. Main draw consolation matches will begin Saturday morning as well, with Shelton scheduled to take on Wisconsin's Thea Latak at approximately 1:00 p.m. ET.

The regional marks the Falcons' third competition of the young season, as BGSU has participated in the Eastern Michigan Hidden Dual (Sept. 25-26) and the Rocket Invitational (Oct. 2-3) so far this fall.

BGSU's results and schedule for the regional can be found below...

2026 ITA MIDWEST REGIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP
Hosted by University of Illinois – Urbana, Ill.

SINGLES – QUALIFYING DRAW
Lucia Gaio
Vs. Aely Arai (Northwestern) – Lost 6-4, 6-2
Vs. Valeriia Oleksyn (SIUE) – Lost 6-4, 6-2

Libby Blair
Vs. Philippa Farber (Northwestern) – Lost 7-5, 6-3
Vs. Nicole Iosio (Illinois State) – Won 6-1, 6-3
Up Next: vs. Nora Syrtveit (Michigan State)

Qianyu Liu
Vs. Ayana Yaguchi (Western Michigan) – Lost 6-3, 6-3
Vs. Esther Vrylan (Notre Dame) – Lost 6-3, 6-3

SINGLES – MAIN DRAW
McKenzie Shelton
Vs. Erica Jessel (Northwestern) – Lost 6-2, 6-0
Up Next: vs. Thea Latak (Wisconsin), Saturday, 1 pm ET

DOUBLES – MAIN DRAW
Blair/Kiera Taylor
Vs. Sasha Sakura Stula/Clara Nilsson (DePaul) – Lost 8-6

Gaio/Shelton
Vs. Frida Weijerman/Julie Hostakova (WMU) – W 8-7 (7-5)
Vs. Laura Rahnel/Olivia Traynor (Michigan) – W 8-7 (8-6)
Up Next: vs. Audrey Spencer/Anna Bennett (Ohio State), Saturday, 10 am ET

Liu/Konstantina Adamopoulou
Vs. Marta Halbersztadt/Nia Cooper (UIC) – Lost 8-2