University of Houston Athletics
Making a Racquet - Vol. 17
4/23/2015 12:00:00 AM | Tennis
April 23, 2015
We returned to Houston with a trophy from The American Athletic Conference Championship, but sadly, it wasn't the trophy we wanted. In my college career thus far, this weekend brought the most exciting matches I have been a part of. With a big spectator crowd, TV cameras, commentators and the championship title at stake, it was everything you'd want to play for.
The championship match started with a 1-0 lead for Tulsa as they won the doubles matches on the bottom two courts. Tulsa then carried the momentum through into the start of singles and won the first sets on the bottom four courts. Things weren't looking good for the Cougars, but as usual, with our fighting spirit, we were ready for a battle. Elena won a close first set tiebreak on Court 2, followed by Debbie winning her match on Court 1 to level the score at 1-1.
However, it wasn't long before Tulsa took the lead to make it 3-1 with wins on Courts 4 and 6. The Golden Hurricane needed one more win the take the championship, but with the Cougars more determined than ever to not let this happen, the remaining courts gave it everything they had in an attempt to stage an epic comeback -- an area that we have a lot of expertise in!
Elena won her match on Court 2, followed by Tina winning a third set battle on Court 3 to now make it 3-3. It was now down to Mina, who was fighting hard in the third set after coming back from a first set defeat to win the second, 7-5. All eyes were on Court 5; the crowd was cheering, the players were pumped and the atmosphere was tense as the sound echoed through the indoor facility.
But it was Tulsa who took the third set, 6-4, to win the match, 4-3. Sadly, it was all smiles for Tulsa and tears for us. After losing in the final last year, the loss was especially hard.
Although we didn't come back with the winner's trophy and no athlete settles for 2nd place, we have had a record-breaking season so far, and the good news is that it is not over just yet. We will hold our heads high and get back on the practice courts this week as we set our sights on advancing in NCAA Tournament, and we hope to break even more records for Houston Tennis.
(Editor's Note: "Making a Racquet" is written by senior women's tennis player Charlotte Phillips, who is interning with the Houston Athletics Communications department this semester. Throughout the season, Charlotte will provide a behind-the-scenes look into the Cougar tennis program, including practice stories, match recaps, interesting anecdotes and notes from the road. Today's entry looks back on a difficult loss to Tulsa in the American Athletic Conference Championship Match.)
VOLUME XVII - APRIL 23, 2015
 | TOUGH TIMES IN TULSA |
We returned to Houston with a trophy from The American Athletic Conference Championship, but sadly, it wasn't the trophy we wanted. In my college career thus far, this weekend brought the most exciting matches I have been a part of. With a big spectator crowd, TV cameras, commentators and the championship title at stake, it was everything you'd want to play for.
The championship match started with a 1-0 lead for Tulsa as they won the doubles matches on the bottom two courts. Tulsa then carried the momentum through into the start of singles and won the first sets on the bottom four courts. Things weren't looking good for the Cougars, but as usual, with our fighting spirit, we were ready for a battle. Elena won a close first set tiebreak on Court 2, followed by Debbie winning her match on Court 1 to level the score at 1-1.
However, it wasn't long before Tulsa took the lead to make it 3-1 with wins on Courts 4 and 6. The Golden Hurricane needed one more win the take the championship, but with the Cougars more determined than ever to not let this happen, the remaining courts gave it everything they had in an attempt to stage an epic comeback -- an area that we have a lot of expertise in!
Elena won her match on Court 2, followed by Tina winning a third set battle on Court 3 to now make it 3-3. It was now down to Mina, who was fighting hard in the third set after coming back from a first set defeat to win the second, 7-5. All eyes were on Court 5; the crowd was cheering, the players were pumped and the atmosphere was tense as the sound echoed through the indoor facility.
But it was Tulsa who took the third set, 6-4, to win the match, 4-3. Sadly, it was all smiles for Tulsa and tears for us. After losing in the final last year, the loss was especially hard.
Although we didn't come back with the winner's trophy and no athlete settles for 2nd place, we have had a record-breaking season so far, and the good news is that it is not over just yet. We will hold our heads high and get back on the practice courts this week as we set our sights on advancing in NCAA Tournament, and we hope to break even more records for Houston Tennis.
Charlotte
Players Mentioned
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