WT: Mavs in Sun Belt finals after weather delay
4/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
By Hannah Altheide | UTAMavs.com
SUNDAY UPDATE: UTA won the doubles point by winning two of three matches Sunday morning to advance to the Sun Belt Championship finals. The Mavericks won the final match in a tiebreaker 7-5. Augustina Serio and Christine Foote got the momentum rolling for UTA win their mathch 6-3. Shortly After Astrid Gehre and Jessica Birowski lost in a tough battle 6-4. UTA and Georgia State were tied up 1-1 with the match riding on the shoulders of Angeles de los Rios and Elizabeth Thoms.
The dynamic duo squared up against No. 88 Tarani Kamoe and Linn Timmermann for a dramatic duel. After going back and forth on games Thoms and de los Rios found themselves tied up 6-6 with GSU. The pair would head into a tiebreaker with the hope of clinching the match. Thoms and de los Rios got down 2-0 quickly but came back and won four straight points to go ahead 4-2. GSU would answer back with three points to go up 5-4.
With the help of their fellow Mavs cheering them on Thoms and de los Rios would rally back to go ahead 6-5. After a double fault from GSU the Mavericks clinched the match and their sport in the Sun Belt Conference championship match.
NEW ORLEANS, La. -- The UT Arlington women's tennis team is a doubles point away from advancing to the Sun Belt Conference Championship finals after splitting six singles matches Saturday against Georgia State. The match resumes Sunday morning with the winner playing for the title.
The Mavericks got off to a great start with the help of Thoms defeating Masa Grgan 6-1, 6-1. Shortly after doubles teammate de los Rios defeated Niri Rasolomalala 6-2, 6-4 in the No. 2 slot to put UTA up 2-0.
Courts three and four had a tougher battles to fight as Gehre took on Kristin Rehse and Augustina Serio squared up with Linn Timmermann. Gehre gathered momentum for the Mavs when she defeated Rehse 6-2, 6-2 giving UTA the 3-0 lead, needing just one more win to clinch the semifinal match.
"Our girls played so tough today," head coach Diego Benitez said. "We waited all morning for the weather to pass and when they stepped on the courts they were ready to play and it showed. Our level of tennis was so high despite some adversity."
With a 3-0 lead, Serio was down a set (7-6) and looked to come back in set two. Meanwhile, Birowski and Foote were starting their matches against Georgia State in hopes to advance to the final round. Serio lost her second set 6-3 and it was up to Birowski or Foote to bring it home for UTA.
Birowski lost her first set 6-1 and could not regain momentum falling in set two 6-4.The Mavs 3-0 lead quickly went to a 3-2 lead with all eyes on Foote. Facing Chaimaa Roudami, Foote battled hard in set one but lost 7-5. With both the men's and women's team cheering her on Foote looked to win and clinch the match but lost the second set 6-4.
The Mavericks geared up for doubles play and had a 10-minute warm up period. During that time the skies opened up and showered the City Park Tennis Center with heavy rain. Coaches and officials decided to postpone the doubles match until tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. followed by the finals at 11 a.m.
"We fought hard today," Benitez said. "I am proud of our concentration and intensity. I think a going into tomorrow we will be fresh and focused on winning the doubles point. We will not look to the championship match until we take care of business in the semifinals."
On the other side of the bracket South Alabama and Louisiana-Monroe are also all tied up at 3-3 and will play doubles tomorrow morning at 9 a.m. with the winner advancing to finals.
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