TCU Wins 2012 MW Women's Tennis Title

Facebook Tweet RSS

SAN DIEGO - Top-seeded and No. 32 TCU captured the 2012 Mountain West Women's Tennis Championship title after it defeated third-seeded San Diego State, 4-2, Sunday afternoon at Aztec Tennis Center. The Horned Frogs won the doubles point and earned three singles wins to advance to the NCAA Championship.

Doubles action was a hard-fought battle by both teams with the Horned Frogs emerging with the point when it was all said and done. TCU got on the board first with an 8-4 win by Simona Parajova and Gaby Mastromarino over Emma Cioffi and Laura Antonana Iriarte at No. 3. The Aztecs' Julia Wais and Alicia Aguilar, however, responded with an 8-5 decision at No. 2 over Kelsey Sundaram and Federica Denti to knot the competition at one apiece. Then with the point on the line, 49th-ranked Millie Nichols and Olivia Smith downed SDSU's Roxanne Ellison and Sierra Ellison, 8-4, at the top position in a match that lasted over an hour.

TCU moved ahead, 2-0, when Denti registered a 6-1, 6-2 win over Sierra Ellison at No. 5. Minutes later, San Diego State cut its deficit in half when Antonana Iriarte posted a 6-4, 6-2 victory over Olivia Smith at the third position.

The Horned Frogs answered SDSU's win at No. 3 with a victory at No. 6 where Mastromarino defeated Kristin Buth, 6-2, 6-1, which put TCU up, 3-1. The Aztecs battled back to make the score 3-2 after Wais upset No. 78 Stephanie Tan in straight sets, 6-3, 6-3, at the top of the singles ladder.

The Horned Frogs needed one win and SDSU needed to win out to capture the title. The two remaining matches went to third sets and both were back-and-forth affairs. But in the end, TCU received the decision it needed when No. 119 Parajova earned a well-played 6-0, 5-7, 6-4 victory over Cioffi at the second singles position.

With the win, the Horned Frogs earned the Mountain West's automatic bid to the 2012 NCAA Women's Championships, which begin May 17. It marks TCU's fourth Mountain West Tournament championship. The rest of the 64-team field will be announced live on NCAA.com, Tuesday, May 1, between 2:30-3 p.m. PT.

Doubles

1. No. 49 Millie Nichols/Olivia Smith (TCU) def. Roxanne Ellison/Sierra Ellison (SDSU), 8-4

2. Julia Wais/Alicia Aguilar (SDSU) def. Kelsey Sundaram/Federica Denti (TCU), 8-5

3. Simona Parajova/Gaby Mastromarinio (TCU) def. Emma Cioffi/Laura Antonana Iriarte (SDSU), 8-4

TCU wins doubles point.

Singles

1. Julia Wais (SDSU) def. No. 78 Stephanie Tan (TCU), 6-3, 6-3

2. No. 119 Simona Parajova (TCU) def. Emma Cioffi (SDSU), 6-0, 5-7, 6-4

3. Laura Antonana Iriarte (SDSU) def. Olivia Smith (TCU), 6-4, 6-2

4. Millie Nichols (TCU) vs. Alicia Aguilar (SDSU), 6-2, 6-7, 5-2 unfinished

5. Federica Denti (TCU) def. Sierra Ellison (SDSU), 6-1, 6-2

6. Gaby Mastromarino (TCU) def. Kristin Buth (SDSU), 6-2, 6-1

Order of finish

Doubles: 3, 2, 1

Singles: 5, 3, 6, 1, 2