By FHSU SPORTS INFORMATION
Fort Hays State Tennis fell in its final home match of the season to No. 19 ranked Nebraska-Kearney on Wednesday evening (Apr. 16). Though the team score was 7-0 in favor of the Lopers, the Tigers battled tough taking one of three doubles matches and forced three sets in three of six singles matches. FHSU is now 12-7 overall and 2-5 in the MIAA, while UNK improved to 16-4 overall and 6-1 in the MIAA.
The No. 2 doubles team of Irina Alfonso and Suzana Faucz continued to push their record breaking FHSU single-season wins marks higher by winning 6-3, making the team point come down to the result of the No. 1 match. Shreethika Vangala and Janae Montoyamade a charge to get back into striking distance after being down 5-2, but the No. 9 nationally ranked pair of Midzi and Ranaivo from UNK kept the Tigers from winning three-straight points and won 6-4 to clinch the team point. The No. 3 team of Yone Pereiro and Ines Latorre fell 6-2 in their match.
The Tigers put up a strong fight in singles play, forcing decisive sets in three matches. Unfortunately, the Tigers came up short in all three of those matches, which could have potentially brought the team result all the way to as close as 4-3.
Alfonso’s No. 2 singles match went the distance as they played out three entire sets since the team result was not determined yet by the time they reached the third set. After falling 6-2 in the first set, Alfonso gave Narindra Ranaivo, the No. 26 ranked player in the nation, a wake-up call by blanking her 6-0 in the second set. However, Ranaivo responded and won the third set 6-0. Alfonso has been no stranger to giving nationally ranked players trouble this year after she knocked one off from Northwest Missouri State earlier this season.
Faucz (No. 3) and Grace Unruh (No. 6) also did not go quietly in their matches, both forcing a third-set tiebreaker. With the team result already secured, their matches used the format of the race to 10 points for the winner of the third set. Faucz fell 6-2 in her first set, but bounced back for a 6-4 win. She came up short in a very tight third-set battle by a count of 14-12. Unruh fell 6-3 in the first set before winning the second by the same count. Her tiebreak was also tight, but she fell 10-7.
Pereiro (No. 4) fell by scores of 6-2, 6-4. Bethan Gill at No. 5 fell 6-4, 6-0. Vangala at No. 1 fell 6-1, 6-1 to the No. 15 ranked player in the country Fabiana Gamboa.
Head coach Brian Flax recognized the accomplishments of three seniors prior to the match – Irina Alfonso, Grace Unruh, and Yone Pereiro. They have combined for 75 wins in singles and doubles play overall this season.
Fort Hays State hits the road this weekend for a non-conference match at Concordia University of Nebraska on Friday (Apr. 18) at 1 p.m.