TOPEKA, Kan. -- ACU's No. 1 doubles team of Jaclyn Walker and Dina Pavlin won the Wilson / ITA South Central Region championship Sunday at the WU Tennis Center on the Washburn University campus.
Walker and Pavlin knocked off the Northeastern State tandem of Zuzanna Osinska and Emina Spirtovic, 6-2, 6-1, to win the doubles title. Osinska and Spirtovic were the defending regional doubles champions and the top seed in this year's tournament, while Walker and Pavlin were the No. 2 seed in the draw.
But Walker and Pavlin wouldn't be denied as they rolled through the tournament, winning each of their five matches in straight sets. As regional doubles champions, Walker and Pavlin now advance to the ITA Small College Championships, which will be played Oct. 15-18 at the Copeland-Cox Tennis Center in Mobile, Ala.
"Those two girls played great tennis (Sunday)," ACU head coach Hutton Jones said. "I really thought coming in that they had a great chance to win the regional championship, and they went out and did it. Jaclyn has been solid, and I believe she's one of the best doubles players we've ever had here. But Dina has really made great strides as a doubles player. Over the last two years she's become a really good doubles player for us."
Walker and Pavlin began their run to the title late Friday with a pair of victories, a 6-4, 6-1 win over Stephanie Rodriguez and Adrianna Hernandez, and then a 6-3, 6-4 second-round win over Heather Brien and Elizabeth Jacobi of St. Edward's.
On Saturday, Walker and Pavlin dispatched Karolina Cichon and Michaela Romanova of Northeastern State, 6-0, 6-2, in the quarterfinals, and then beat Amanda Moberg and Elle Sholles of Cameron, 7-6, 6-0, in the semifinals.
Pavlin joins her older sister, Lana, as a regional champion. Lana Pavlin and Holly Lindloff won the regional doubles championship for the Wildcats in 2005.
In the singles draw, Walker reached the quarterfinals before dropping a 6-3, 7-5 decision to No. 1 seed and eventual regional champion Julia Arguello of East Central University. Pavlin reached the second round before falling to Spirtovic, 3-6, 6-1, 6-0.
Freshman Julia Mongin won her opening-round match with a 6-3, 7-5 victory over Romanova before falling, 6-4, 2-6, 7-5, to Moberg. Cassie Carver was the only other Wildcat in action, and she lost in the first round, dropping a 6-1, 7-5 decision to Laryssa Ferreira of Newman (Kan.).
ACU will host the ITA South Central Region men's championship tournament this weekend at the Eager Tennis Center in Abilene.
