Grand Canyon Captures 2023 WAC Women's Tennis Championship
ARLINGTON, Texas – Purple reigned in the women’s Western Athletic Conference Tournament championship match as the No. 2 Tarleton Texans and No. 4 Grand Canyon (GCU) Lopes battled Saturday at the Arlington Tennis Center.
It will be Grand Canyon’s purple parade that continues into the NCAA Tournament as the Lopes defeated the Texans 4-3 in a thrilling, down-to-the-wire match to claim the conference tournament championship and the automatic bid to the national tournament.
The Texans clinched an important doubles point with wins on the second and third courts. Tarleton’s No. 2 duo of Elsa Boisson and Celia Vaudiau cruised in their match, taking the early lead and never looking back to take a 6-2 win behind a tough presence on the net.
On the first court, the teams’ top duos were swapping games as they thrilled the crowd with long rallies. GCU’s Natasha Puehse and Santa Strombacha had just taken a 5-3 lead and created some momentum behind Puehse’s strong strokes from the baseline when the bout went unfinished as the Texans raced to the third court.
Tarleton’s Emma Persson and Clara Sobius opened up a 4-1 lead in the No. 3 flight before GCU’s duo of Dania Deaifi and Valentina Del Marco battled all the way back to tie the match at 4-all. When the Texans won the No. 2 doubles match, Persson and Sobius buckled in and dominated the remainder of the match to take a well-earned 6-4 win and secure the 1-0 lead.
During the conference regular season, Grand Canyon’s three losses all came the same way – the Lopes lost 4-3 after dropping the doubles point. When it mattered most, GCU slayed that demon and captured the come-from-behind victory behind a valiant effort.
The singles session was split between lopsided matches and tight battles. Each team won the first set on three courts. Madeline Lamoreaux dominated in her No. 5 match to take a 6-1, 6-2 win and even the score at 1-1.
Tarleton went on a run to open up a 3-1 lead. Vaudiau rolled on the sixth court, winning 6-3, 6-0, and Boisson cruised in the third flight to take a swift 6-2, 6-2 win.
With the first two courts bound for third sets, Tarleton’s Ximena Morales put her foot on the gas for a gritty comeback at No. 4. Grand Canyon’s Anali Kocevar was controlling the bout, taking the first set 6-1 and opening up a 5-2 lead in the second as she executed precise and varied shots across the court to keep her opponent scrambling. But Morales showed great heart to claw back and force a tiebreaker at 6-all in the second frame.
Kocevar went up 3-0 in the tiebreaker before Morales strung together back-to-back points. Kocevar held strong to fend off the admirable rally and took the tiebreaker 7:3, trimming the Lopes deficit to 3-2.
An engaged crowd was locked-in on the heavyweight matches on the first two courts. In the No. 1 flight, Puehse won the first set 6-3, but Persson responded well to take a 5-0 lead in the second and ultimately hold off a comeback attempt to take the frame 6-3. The two top players challenged each other from the back lines, rarely turning to the short game and instead drilling heavy, precise shots on the edges of the court.
Puehse was dynamic in the deciding third. She grooved through long rallies and drove through the ball, showing great mobility and will to win. Puehse sent a rocket down the right sideline to secure a dominant 6-1 third set and tie the match at 3-all.
Momentum swung the opposite way in the No. 2 flight. Tarleton’s Martha Makantasi took the first set 6-2, then Strombacha rallied back to claim the second 6-3. In the third set, Makantasi took control early, but Strombacha persevered through the momentum swings to jump on top 5-2. Makantasi responded to take the next two games, putting some pressure on the match down 4-5.
The intensity was palpable as the match went on. Strombacha hustled and pushed Makantasi across the court to get to match point at 40-15, but the Texan fought her off and got to deuce point, then tied the frame at 5-all.
Strombacha’s big serve put her right back on top at 6-5, but Makantasi again responded with her back against the wall to force the seven-point tiebreaker.
Strombacha won the first two points, but the next too went to Makantasi. Five missed shots down the stretch led to Strombacha being swarmed by her teammates as she clinched the championship after an incredible fight.
2023 WAC Women’s Tennis All-Tournament Team
Singles:
Natasha Puehse (GCU)
Santa Strombacha (GCU)
Anali Kocevar (GCU)
Sarina Reinertsen (UTA)
Elsa Boisson (Tarleton)
Celia Vaudia (Tarleton)
Doubles:
Puehse/Strombacha (GCU)
Boisson/Vaudiau (Tarleton)
Persson/Sobius (Tarleton)