WT: Thoms and de los Rios fall at Nationals
5/21/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Tennis
By Hannah Altheide | UTAMavs.com
WACO, Texas- UT Arlington women's tennis team was represented at the 2015 NCAA Division I Doubles Championship by junior, Elizabeth Thoms and sophomore Angeles de los Rios on Thursday afternoon. The pair competed against the No. 1 doubles team in the nation from Alabama and came up short losing 6-2, 6-1.
"It was a tough match, playing against the No. 1 seed and the number one team in the nation," UTA coach Diego Benitez said. "We knew it was going to be a really tough match, but we are happy that we got to experience what it takes to play against the very very best."
Thoms and de los Rios started off well, having quite a few opportunities in the fist set to break Alabama's Maya Jansen and Erin Routliffe. Thoms and de los Rios had a 40-15 lead and two double break points, but unfortunately couldn't capitalize on their efforts. Shortly after Alabama stepped up their level of play and the Mavs were forced to play from behind the rest of the way.
"I'm happy with the effort that both Lizzy and Angeles put out to today," Benitez said. "It was gratifying to see how much they enjoyed this stage and this type of match play. I think they learned a lot about how good they can be in the future and we are definitely excited for next year."
This is the third time Benitez has had a team or individual play on the big stage for the chance at a national title. He is believes he will be there again sooner rather then later and has confidence in his upcoming team.
"We will take some time to rest, but we are always working on getting better and get one step ahead of our competition," Benitez said. "We ended this season on a few high notes so we are all looking forward to what's ahead of us next year."
The Mavericks will be back in action in the fall with many returners and new faces.
