Altamonte Springs, FL — The top-ranked Brigham Young University Hawaii women’s tennis team claimed their second consecutive NCAA II national championship, and seventh in the last nine years, by overwhelming fourth-ranked West Florida today, 5-0, for the Seasiders’ 60th straight win.
The Seasiders, who have now won nine national titles in the past 11 seasons, including their final two seasons as an NAIA school, swept the three doubles matches easily and then got wins at number five and number three singles to cruise to the title.
Jing Jing Liu and Maggie Deng, ranked second nationally in doubles play, secured the first point for the Seasiders today with an 8-1 blitzing at number one doubles. Yuliya Ustyuzhanina and Dori Magas then finished an 8-4 win at number two doubles and Anna Anikanova and Ramona Husaru put BYU-Hawaii ahead 3-0 with an 8-5 victory at the third doubles spot.
Anikanova earned the fourth point for the Seasiders with a straight set, 6-1, 6-4 win at number five singles and Magas followed up with the clinching point and a 7-5, 6-3 victory at the third slot. Three of the other BYU-Hawaii players were leading their singles matches when the championship was secured.
BYU-Hawaii Head Coach Dave Porter said he was “happy with the win.”
“West Florida has been playing much better since we beat them earlier in the season,” he said, “and I was concerned going in today that our team might suffer a little bit of a letdown after yesterday’s win over Armstrong (ranked second nationally), but our team came out and played hard just like they have played all year.” Porter indicated as well that none of BYU-Hawaii’s top six singles players lost a singles match this season during dual match play.
Today’s win lifts BYU-Hawaii’s record this season to a perfect 33-0. Since beginning NCAA II play in the 1998-99 academic year, the Seasiders own a remarkable record of 293-2 in dual match play for a winning percentage of .993. In 15 years at the helm of the Seasiders, Coach Porter boasts a record of 444-13 for a .972 winning percentage.
Scores:
Singles:
No. 1 #2 Yuliya Ustyuzhanina, BYUH vs. #5 Suzanna Cavalcante, WFU 6-2, 4-3 DNC
No. 2 #3 Jing Jing Liu, BYUH vs. #15 Tammy Kevey, WFU 6-4, 4-0 DNC
No. 3 #4 Dori Magas, BYUH def. #45 Mandy Septoe, WFU 7-5, 6-3
No. 4 #19 Maggie Deng, BYUH vs. #38 Renatta Mattos, WFU 6-2, 5-2 DNC
No. 5 #28 Anna Anikanova, BYUH def. Paola Arevalo, WFU 6-1, 6-4
No. 6 #39 Ramona Husaru, BYUH vs. Anne Claire Beard, WFU 4-6, 0-1 DNC
Doubles:
No. 1 #2 Liu/Deng, BYUH def. #4 Kevey/Septoe, WFU def. 8-1
No. 2 #5 Ustyuzhanina/Magas, BYUH def. #15 Cavalcante/Arevalo, WFU 8-4
No. 3 Anikanova/Husaru, BYUH def. Mattos/Beard, WFU 8-5
