ARLINGTON, Texas — Delayed for almost 24 hours due to inclement weather in Arlington, the No. 11 St. Mary's University Women's Tennis Team couldn't hold off No. 26 UT Tyler in the semifinals of the Lone Star Conference Tournament, dropping a 4-1 decision on Saturday morning.
Even more critical in a clinch-finish match, where the first team to four points wins and advances, the Patriots (18-9) won 6-2 at line two and 6-3 at three doubles for the first point.
"Our first serve percentage in the doubles really led us down," said Director of Tennis
Bill Macom. "(UT) Tyler put quite a bit of pressure on us with their returns. That doubles point was crucial for us because Tyler played more consistently in singles than we did on the three courts where we lost in straight sets."
They took a 2-0 lead with a straight sets win on court five before junior
Stela Sifuentes (Eagle Pass, Texas) scored the Rattlers' (17-3) lone point with her 6-2, 6-3 victory on court six. After the conclusion of the championship, Sifuentes was named to the Lone Star All-Tournament team.
Junior
Alessia Terlizzi (Andria, Italy) won her first set 6-3 and was up 5-2 before Carla Rodier won three straight to lock the second set at 5-5 when the Patriots scored their fourth point to advance to the finals. Sophomore
Janel Ospanova (Karaganda, Kazakhstan) was tied at 5-5 in a tiebreak in the second set after winning the opening set 6-4 when the match ended.
The Rattlers will now wait to see if they receive an at-large berth to the NCAA Championship. UT Tyler will face DBU in the finals. DBU, playing on its home court, upset No. 3 Midwestern State in the other semifinal. The NCAA selection show is set for Monday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m. on NCAA.com. A link to the show will appear on the front page of the website at airtime.
