LEWISTON, Maine -- The Bates College women's tennis squad opened fall competition in impressive fashion this weekend as the Bobcats welcomed Brandeis University, Colby College, and Trinity College to campus for the annual two-day Wallach Invitational.

Bates reached the semifinal round in each of the three singles groups and advanced all the way to the finals in Group "A" doubles. 

The Bobcats tandem of senior captain Joanna Atwater (Short Hills, N.J.) and junior Ally Friedman (East Hampton, N.Y.), the #3 seed in "A" doubles, sent off Isabella Hartman and Josephine Kimball, the #2 duo from Trinity, by the score of 8-4 before coming up short vs. top-seed Bhakti Parwani and Rebecca Suarez (Huntington, N.Y.) from Brandeis (8-3) in the finals.

In "A" singles, #2 Atwater advanced to Sunday's semifinals, falling to Anastasia Sia, 6-2, 7-5. First-year Natalie Zalechowski (Westfield, N.J.) the #4 seed in "B" singles, advanced to the semifinal round in her first collegiate event where she experienced defeat vs. Trinity's Allie Francis, 7-5, 6-4.

First-year #3 Isabella Saul (Brooklyn, N.Y.), also kicking off her collegiate career with the Bobcats, advanced to the semifinals of "C" singles before being upended by #2 Caleigh McClean, 6-1, 6-1.

Bates returns to the court next weekend as the Bobcats enter the three-day ITA New England Championship in Williamstown, Mass.