The ACU women's tennis team will try to win three matches in three days to earn the conference title, and a spot in a NCAA regional, this week at the
WAC Team Tennis Championships hosted by UT Arlington.
ACU's run in the tournament begins with a quarterfinal match against Seattle U on Thursday at 11 a.m. at the UTA Tennis Center. The Wildcats are the No. 4 seed, while the Redhawks are No. 5.
"We have good momentum," ACU head coach
Bryan Rainwater said. "All through WAC play we played super well, and we are playing our best tennis at the right time. It's going to be a matter of all of us putting it together each match. It's going to take all of us. They've stuck together all year – which is a huge testament to them."
The Wildcats started the spring by losing their first six matches but bounced back to piece together a 5-12 record. ACU has won three of their last five heading into the WAC tournament. Included in that stretch are back-to-back victories over UT Arlington, a 4-3 loss to No. 1 seed Grand Canyon, and a win versus Tarleton State.
Injuries plagued the Wildcats during the spring. Bicep tendonitis has forced junior
Maria Cascos to serve underhanded, but she has still won five consecutive singles matches at the fourth line.
"In the past couple of months, the girls have been tougher and decided they're not going to let [injuries] mess with them," said Rainwater. "When [Maria] is 100% she is probably our best player. She's been serving underhand all through this and convincing herself that she can win matches at the Division I level doing that has been hard enough. When she's right she is our best player of the team – energy-wise, and all that."
Cascos has also won three consecutive doubles matches with partner
Olivia Sears. The pair boasts a team-best 8-3 record this spring.
"[Maria and Olivia] have turned out to be a great team. [Maria] has had that will to win in every single match. That's been a big reason we've turned it around. Our juniors have decided we're going to step up, do the right things and not make excuses. I've been really proud of all of them, but her especially."
The winner of Thursday's match advances to face Grand Canyon in the semifinal round on Friday. The championship is Saturday with all matches scheduled for 11 a.m. starts.
"I think it's wide-open," Rainwater said. "If we can play our game and feel confident, then we have a great shot."
