TYLER, TX (04.29.12) - The UT Dallas women's tennis team had the best season in program history come to an end Sunday afternoon with a 5-0 loss to Texas-Tyler in the American Southwest Conference title match.
The Comets (now 14-3) advanced to the ASC title match for the first time in program history after a 5-4 win over McMurry Saturday in the league semifinals. UTD blanked Howard Payne, 5-0, in the quarterfinals Friday.
ASC QUATERFINALS - UTD 5, UMHB 0 (BOX SCORE)
The Comets picked up their second-ever ASC Tournament win Friday afternoon with a 5-0 win over Howard Payne, the No. 3 seed out of the ASC's West Division.
UTD opened the match with three hard-fought wins in doubles before finishing off the match with two quick singles wins. Comet win sisters Cindy and
Mindy Tiu picked up the first win of the day for UTD, taking down Howard Paynes' Jenna Johnson/Larissa Lyndskey, 8-4, at No. 2 doubles. The duo of
Rachel Houston and
Megan Tan earned an 8-6 win over HPU's Gabi Crunelle/Joan Burks at No. 1 doubles and Comets
Jean-Jean Gwo and
Alisha Lorren completed the doubles sweep with a 9-7 win over Emilee Stephens/Samantha Guerrero at No. 3.
Mindy Tiu then gave the Comets a 4-0 lead with a 6-1, 6-0, win at No. 2 singles over Burks and Houston wrapped up the match with a 6-1, 6-0, win over Crunelle at No. 1 singles. UTD was on its way to a 9-0 sweep if the match played out as the remaining four singles players - Cindy Tui, Tan, Lorren and
Stephanie Lu - had each picked up first-set wins.
ASC SEMIFINALS - UTD 5, McMURRY 4 (BOX SCORE)
After falling behind 2-1 after doubles play, the Comets battled for four singles wins to picked up their win of the weekend and advance to the ASC title match for the first time ever.
Gwo and Lorren were the only Comets to pick up wins in doubles, downing McMurry's Chelsea Miller and Hilary Stone, 8-4, at No. 3. The War Hawk duo of Dana LeMieux/Sydney Gonzalez outlasted Houston and Tan at No. 1, 9-7, and Sonia Del Heirro/Brandy Curry downed the Tiu twins, 8-1.
Tan got quick vengeance in singles, however, earning a 6-0, 6-0, win over Stone at No. 5 singles to even the match, 2-2. Houston then picked up a 6-1, 6-4, win over LeMieux at No. 1 to give UTD a 3-2 advantange.
McMurry's Autumn Patterson drew the War Hawks back to a tie, 3-3, after downing Lorren, 6-1, 6-2, at No. 6 singles, but
Mindy Tiu and Gwo both followed with big wins at No. 2 and No. 3 singles, repectively, to seal the win for the Comets.
Mindy Tiu downed Del Heirro, 6-2, 6-2, and Gwo defeated Miller, 6-1, 6-2.
Cindy Tiu's match at No. 4 singles ended simultaneously with the match-deciding contest as she fell to McMurry's Curry, 7-5, 6-2.
ASC FINALS - UTT 5, UTD 0 (BOX SCORE)
The Comets got into a big hole after dropping all three doubles matches and unfortunately had quick losses at No. 4 and No. 6 singles as host Texas-Tyler picked up its fifth straight ASC title.
UTT's Ashley Albro/Morgan Wilkins opened the scoring with an 8-2 win over Gwo and Lorren at No. 3 doubles before Patriots Amy Friesenhahn/Sydni Hermsdorf downed Houston and Tan, 8-5, at No. 1 doubles. UTT's Jessica Blundell and Jennifer Payne then completed the doubles sweep for the Patriots with an 8-4 win over Tiu twins.
Payne added a 6-1, 6-2, win over
Cindy Tiu at No. 4 singles and Wilkins downed Lorren, 6-1, 6-1, to complete the win. When the match ended, Houston was on her way to avenging her only singles loss of the season, leading Frisenhahn, 6-2, 2-1, at No. 1 singles. Gwo and Tan were also a set up in their matches at No. 3 and No. 5 singles, respectively, when the match was decided.
Houston and Gwo were honored after the event as members of the All-Tournament Team.
