CLAREMONT, CA (05.10.19) - Junior
Kathy Joseph used a dominant third set to push the UT Dallas women's tennis team to the program's first-ever NCAA Tournament victory Friday afternoon as the Comets upended No. 29-ranked Linfield, 5-4, in the opening round of regional play, held on the campus of Claremont-Mudd-Scripps.
Joseph, the reigning two-time American Southwest Conference West Division Player of the Year, earned a 6-0 win over Linfield's Michelle Uyeda to secure the Comets' historic victory after the two top players traded blows to open their match. Joseph grabbed a 6-2 win in the first set, but Uyeda answered with a 6-3 win in the second set.
With Friday's victory, the Comets (now 12-1) advance to the second round of the 2019 NCAA Division III National Championship and will face regional host and No. 2-ranked C-M-S at 4 p.m. (Central) Saturday. A win Saturday would send the Comets to the regional final at 2 p.m. (Central) Sunday.
After dropping 2-of-3 doubles contests, the Comets had their hands full against the nationally ranked Wildcats in singles play.
Sophie Farmer evened the match with a 6-4, 6-4, win at No. 4 over Linfield's Riley Clayeaux, but the Wildcats quickly answered with a 6-4, 6-3, win by Alysse Nakasato over UTD's
Sindhu Ravula at No. 5 singles to hold on to a 3-2 advantage in the dual.
Frida Muedsam then earned a straight-set win of her own at No. 3 singles, holding off Tessa Kern, 7-6, 6-1. However, the Wildcats responded again, this time with a 6-2, 6-1, win by Haley Fujimori over
Svaksha Iyengar at No. 6.
Sumvruta Iyengar then completed her straight-set win over Elsa Harris, 6-4, 6-4, at No. 2 singles to even the match once again, setting up Joseph's dramatic match-clinching victory.
The Wildcats (17-3) opened the dual with wins at No. 2 and No. 3 before the top-flighted duo of Joseph and Ravula helped UTD avoid the sweep with a come-from-behind win at No. 1. Down 5-2, Joseph and Ravula would battle back for an 8-7 win over Harris/Uyeda.
The Comets are making just their second-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament and first since 2013. That season, UTD opened the national event with a 5-0 loss to UC Santa Cruz, also on the campus of C-M-S.
