WT: Thoms and de los Rios head to Nationals
5/18/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
Doubles Bracket | NCAA Championship Central
By Hannah Altheide | UTAMavs.com
ARLINGTON, Texas -- The UT Arlington women's tennis team finished its season weeks ago in the Sun Belt Conference Championship finals, but for two Mavericks, their journey is still going.
Elizabeth Thoms and Angeles de los Rios will be representing UTA as automatic qualifiers in the 2015 NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Championships in Waco May 20-25. Thoms and de los Rios are among 32 doubles teams selected by the NCAA Division I Women's Tennis Subcommittee.
"When I heard the news that Lizzy and I were going to be able to continue to play I was so excited," de los Rios said. "We were all so upset after losing in the finals, so having the chance to compete again is awesome."
The Mavericks had a great season finishing 16-6 overall and 4-0 in regular season conference play. After receiving a third seed in the conference tournament, the Mavericks battled through tough competition and eventually made it to the finals to take on South Alabama.
In one of the most dramatic matches in UTA history, the Mavs were two games away from taking home a conference championship. However, the Mavs struggled to close and South Alabama took over win the championship 4-3.
"It was a tough one to lose," UTA coach Diego Benitez said. "These girls worked so hard and to come so close to winning and then losing it all really stung and hurt for a while, but when we got the call that two of our girls were going to nationals it definitely took a little bit of the sting away."
Thoms and de los Rios have a combined dual record of 29-6 and a doubles record of 7-1. After a strong season, they now have to opportunity to represent UTA on a national level.
"I could not be more prouder of Lizzy and Angeles," Benitez said. "They both have worked so hard and have really set the tone for the team as a whole. They deserve to be there and I know they will represent us well."
While the rest of the team has headed home for summer, Thoms and de los Rios have been working tirelessly to get ready for the big stage. They have really been focused on fine tuning their pairing and getting back in the competition mindset.
"I have no doubt that they are ready," Benitez said. "They are ready to compete and play at their highest level."
The Mavs will head to Waco on Tuesday in preparation for match play on Wednesday. For updates follow @UTAMavs on Twitter.
