ATHENS, Ga. - Thursday marked the end of the season for the remaining WAC tennis players participating in the NCAA Individual Championships in Athens, Ga.
Boise State senior Pichittra Thongdach saw her run in the singles tournament end as she fell in the round of 32 to No. 47 Ellah Nze of Duke, 6-4, 7-6. Thongdach, who entered the weekend ranked No. 49 nationally, battled Nze the whole way but was unable to finish off either set. In the second set she came back from a 6-5 deficit to tie Nze at 6-6, but was unable to win the tiebreaker to extend the match. Thongdach finishes the season 31-16 overall in singles and ends her singles career at Boise State with a 78-33 all-time record.
In doubles competition, Thongdach and partner Lauren Megale were unable to get past No. 17 Alexa Gaurachi and Courtney McLane of Alabama. Thongdach and Megale, who were ranked No. 45 nationally, battled back from a first set loss to force a third and decisive set, but the Alabama duo proved to be too much, as they won 6-3, 5-7, 6-1. Thongdach and Megale finish the season with a 30-12 overall doubles record, including three wins over ranked opponents.
On the men's side, Fresno State's 23rd-ranked Rikus de Villiers and Remi Boutillier fell pushed No. 21 Steven Forman and Iain Atkinson of Wake Forest to the limit, as both sets went into a tiebreaker. The Bulldog duo fell 7-6 (7-4), 7-6 (7-5) to finish 28-5 on the year.