Cougars Fall to Tulsa in American Championship Match

April 18, 2015

TULSA, Okla. -- The No. 29 University of Houston tennis team nearly staged another epic comeback but fell to No. 71 Tulsa, 4-3, on Saturday afternoon in the finals of the 2015 American Athletic Conference Championship. The loss drops the Cougars to 22-5 and ends the team's school-record winning streak at 18 matches.

"First of all, congratulations to Tulsa for winning the championship," said Houston Head Coach Patrick Sullivan. "It's always difficult to lose, especially in a championship match, but I couldn't be prouder of the heart and toughness that our team showed today."

The highlight of the day for Houston came from senior Elena Kordolaimi, who equaled a program record with her 24th singles dual match win of the season.

Tulsa (16-10) grabbed quick leads on the bottom two doubles courts and made the advantages stick. Rongrong Leenabanchong and Marcelina Cichon defeated Rocio Martin and Tina Rupert in the second flight, 6-2. On court three, Mina Markovic and Angela Lorenzo recovered from multiple match points before falling to Mahitha Dadireddy and Saana Saarteinen, 6-4.

The Golden Hurricane continued to set the pace at the start of singles play, winning the first set on the bottom four courts. But the momentum turned in Houston's favor when Kordolaimi won a first set tiebreak from Leenabanchong in the second flight, 7-2.

Just moments after the buzz from Kordolaimi's win died down, No. 77 Despoina Vogasari tied the match for Houston. The sophomore dropped Ksenia Laskutova on the top court, 6-2, 6-3, to draw the Cougars even.

Tulsa regained the lead when the fourth court went final. Yelena Nemchen snagged a 6-3, 6-3 victory over Martin, and the hosts were back in control.

The lead grew to 3-1 for the Golden Hurricane with a victory on the sixth court. Dadireddy claimed the point with a 6-1, 7-5 victory over Lorenzo, and Tulsa was just a win away from the conference title.

Houston is no stranger to comebacks, and the Cougars were able to climb back in the match by winning the next two singles courts to finish. No. 110 Kordolaimi cut the gap in half on court two with a 7-6 (7-2), 6-4 victory over Leenabanchong. Later, Rupert tied the match yet again when she finished off a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win over Cichon in the third flight.

That left the fifth court match between Houston's Markovic and Tulsa's Saarteinen as the Championship's decisive point. The TU player had won the first set, 6-4, before Markovic fought out of a hole for a 7-5 triumph in the second set.

The third and final set was tied at 3-all when Rupert's match finished, and the attention of the crowd turned completely to court five. After a back-and-forth battle, Saarteinen was able to clinch the Championship for the Golden Hurricane by taking the set, 6-4.

At the conclusion of play, Tulsa's Cichon was named the tournament's Most Outstanding Player.

Kordolaimi's win was her 32nd of the season and her 24th dual win, which matches a single-season school record. Kathy Foxworth set the record in 1986 and tied it in 1987, with Kordolaimi adding her name to the top of the ledger on Saturday.

Vogasari's win was her first of the tournament after her Thursday and Friday matches were both left unfinished. The sophomore improved to 29-8 overall this season, and 18-5 in dual matches.

Like Vogasari, Rupert's win was her first of the event after not finishing in the first two rounds. Her record improved to 13-8 this season, and 11-7 in the spring season.

RESULTS

SINGLES
1. #77 Despoina Vogasari (UH) def. Ksenia Laskutova (TU) 6-2, 6-3
2. #110 Elena Kordolaimi (UH) def. R. Leenabanchong (TU) 7-6 (7-4), 6-4
3. Tina Rupert (UH) def. Marcelina Cichon (TU) 3-6, 6-2, 6-3
4. Yelena Nemchen (TU) def. Rocio Martin (UH) 6-3, 6-3
5. Saana Saarteinen (TU) def. Mina Markovic (UH) 6-4, 5-7, 6-4
6. Mahitha Dadireddy (TU) def. Angela Lorenzo (UH) 6-1, 7-5
DOUBLES
1. Elena Kordolaimi/Despoina Vogasari (UH) vs. #84 Ksenia Laskutova/Renata Kuricova (TU) 5-4, unfinished
2. R. Leenabanchong/Marcelina Cichon (TU) def. Rocio Martin/Tina Rupert (UH) 6-2
3. Mahitha Dadireddy/Saana Saarteinen (TU) def. Mina Markovic/Angela Lorenzo (UH) 6-4
Order of finish: Doubles (2,3); Singles (1,4,6,2,3,5)

UP NEXT FOR THE COUGARS

Houston will now await a bid to the 2015 NCAA Championships. First and second round play will be held May 8-10 on campus sites, and the selection show will be broadcast on Tuesday, April 28 at 4 pm CT on NCAA.com.

"This one stings, but the good news is that the season is not over," said Sullivan. "Our team will get back on the courts soon with the goals of advancing in the NCAA Tournament and continuing to reach new heights for Houston Tennis."

The Cougars are 2-3 all-time in three NCAA Tournament appearances. Houston advanced to the second round in 1997 with a 5-2 win over TCU before falling to Tennessee, 5-0.

In 1998, the Cougars again won their first round match, 8-1, over Texas A&M. They were eliminated one round later, however, with a 5-0 setback to Arkansas.

Last season, Sullivan's team earned their first NCAA bid in 16 years. They were drawn into the College Station Regional and fell in the first round to Texas, 5-0.

JOIN THE CENTER COURT CLUB

The Cougars are proud to introduce the Center Court Club, a restricted-giving program that directly impacts the needs of the University of Houston Tennis program. Gifts to the Center Court Club provide financial support directly to the University of Houston Tennis program for needs beyond the program's operating budget. Revenue generated from the Center Court Club is used at the discretion of the Head Coach for program enhancements. Membership in the Center Court Club is annual and requires a minimum $100 gift.
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