ABILENE - Abilene Christian's fifth-ranked women's tennis team will face No. 17 and Lone Star Conference rival Tarleton State Monday at 11:45 a.m. in the NCAA South Region 1 final.
The TexAnns on Sunday captured a 5-0 win over RMAC Champion Western New Mexico in the region 1 semifinals. Tarleton State won all three doubles matches, and won again in straight sets at No. 6 and 2 singles to finish their dual in just under three hours.
In the other half of the South Central Region bracket, No. 2 seed Midwestern State Saturday defeated third-seeded St. Mary's, 5-3, and will see the winner of ACU and Tarleton State in Surprise, Ariz., the weekend of May 8-11 at the NCAA Championship.
ACU defeated Tarleton, 8-1, earlier this season in Stephenville, and twice beat the Mustangs (6-3 and 5-0) en route to winning the program's 25th and final Lone Star Conference championship.
The Wildcats are 26-5 overall this season and have nine starters who share a combined singles record of 128-45 (.740). ACU also went 5-0 vs. the conference, 9-0 against the region and were 3-3 vs. nationally ranked opponents, which includes a 5-4 win over No. 9 West Florida and 6-3 decision vs. No. 28 Fresno Pacific.
In doubles, ACU's teams are a combined 75-11 (.872) led by the nationally ranked duos of
Julia Mongin and Reed (11-2) and
Micah Hermsdorf and Kelley (16-3). All-Americas a year ago, Hermsdorf and Kelley have won their last 11 matches together during ACU's 13-match winning streak, while Mongin and Reed won last fall's ITA/USTA South Central Regional Championship.
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#17 Tarleton State 5, Western New Mexico University 0
04/28/2013 at Abilene, TX (Eager Tennis Pavilion)
Singles competition
1. #49 Alicia Perez (TSU) vs. Ganna Tiurina (WNMU) 5-5, unfinished
2. Karla Martinez-Hamda (TSU) def. Ashley Newell (WNMU) 6-2, 6-2
3. Melanie Barnes (TSU) vs. Claudia Osuna (WNMU) 6-2, 5-0, unfinished
4. Ivana Zecevic (TSU) vs. Marie Monier (WNMU) 6-3, unfinished
5. Marina Rull (TSU) vs. Doris Berberic (WNMU) 6-0, 5-2, unfinished
6. Silvia Nieva-Garcia (TSU) def. Davida Aragon (WNMU) 6-0, 6-1
Doubles competition
1. #25 Alicia Perez/Karla Martinez-Hamda (TSU) def. Ganna Tiurina/Ashley Newell (WNMU) 8-0
2. Ivana Zecevic/Melanie Barnes (TSU) def. Doris Berberic/Diamond Morrill (WNMU) 8-1
3. Makenzie Mitchell/Marina Rull (TSU) def. Claudia Osuna/Marie Monier (WNMU) 8-5
Match Notes
Western New Mexico University 12-15
Tarleton State 13-11; National ranking #17
Order of finish: Doubles (1,2,3); Singles (6,2)
NCAA South Central Region I - First-Round Match
#4 seed Tarleton State
#5 seed Western New Mexico
TSU faces #1 seed ACU Monday at 11:45 a.m.
