The No. 30 University of Arizona women’s tennis team fell in the quarterfinals of the Big 12 championship in a hard-fought battle against No. 21 Baylor University 4-3, on Friday, April 18, in Waco, Texas, at the Hurd Tennis Center.
Arizona vs. Utah
The No. 30 Wildcats (18-9, 8-5 Big 12) opened the Big 12 Championship tournament on Thursday, April 17, against the University of Utah, coming in as the No. 5 seed. Arizona defeated the Utes 4-2, securing the doubles point and clinching the win in singles play with Zoya Chulak sealing the victory and advancing the Wildcats to the quarterfinals.
Arizona kicked the match off with No. 85 duo Midori Castillo-Meza and Martyna Ostrzygalo as they defeated Emma Kamper and Hayley Roberts, 6-0. To seal the doubles win for the Wildcats, senior Belen Nevenhoven and freshman Chulak beat Utah’s Samantha Horwood and Dylan Lolofie, 6-4. The third doubles match of the day was left unfinished between No. 44 Danielle Tuhten and Josie Usereau of Arizona and No. 78 Sara Akid and Emma Valletta from Utah.
No. 95 Castillo-Meza kept the Wildcats’ momentum going with a dominant 6-1, 6-1 win over Akid. Junior Tanvi Narendran followed the victory by defeating Utah’s Roberts 6-3, 6-1 to give Arizona a 2-point lead in singles. However, the Utes weren’t going down without a fight as Utah’s Kamper battled past No. 64 Usereau, taking a 6-3 and 7-6 win. The Utes continued their battle as Kaila Barksdale took down Ostrzygalo, 6-3, 6-2, to even the score.
The decisive point for Arizona came from freshman Chulak, who battled past Lolofie in a hard-fought 6-3, 7-6 victory. The 4-2 win clinched a spot in the quarterfinals for the Wildcats, where Arizona prepared to face No. 21 Baylor on Friday.
Big 12 Quarterfinals: Arizona vs. Baylor
No. 21 Baylor, the tournament’s No. 4 seed, outlasted the Wildcats in a tense 4-3 battle. The Bears set the tone early by sweeping doubles play, with Sierra Berry and Zuzanna Kubacha dominating Nevenhoven and Chulak, 6-0. Baylor’s second doubles win came from the No. 31-ranked duo of Liubov Kostenko and Cristina Tiglea, who defeated No. 44 Tuhten and Usereau, 6-2.
Court 2 remained unfinished, with Arizona’s No. 85-ranked duo, Castillo-Meza and Ostrzygalo, falling behind 5-3 against Na Dong and Wenfei Yu.
Baylor extended its lead after Dong secured a straight-sets win on court 4 against Tuhten 6-4, 6-2. The Wildcats did not disappear easily as Narendran responded for Arizona with a controlled defeat against Kennedy Gibbs on court 5, 6-4, 6-4. Ostrzygalo of the Wildcats added to the fight after beating out Kubacha on court 3, 6-4, 6-3.
Usereau added the final point of the day for the Wildcats after beating Kostenko in an intense three-set battle on court 1, 7-5, 6-1, 6-2. This wouldn’t be enough for a Wildcat comeback as Tiglea beat senior Castillo-Meza in a three-set showdown, 6-3, 6-2, 6-4.
Baylor went on to play No.15 Texas Tech University on Saturday, April 19, and was defeated 4-2. Ultimately, top-seeded Texas Tech became the Big 12 tournament champions after defeating the No. 2 University of Central Florida, 4-2, on Sunday, April 20.
Looking ahead
Arizona now awaits the NCAA Championship selection on Sunday, April 28. The national tournament is scheduled from May 2-4 at the Hurd Tennis Center in Waco, Texas.
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